Healthy Grief: Job's Story and Kubler-Ross' Grief Process

Healthy Grief
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Healthy Grief
Grief occurs naturally to a person when faced with unexpected losses such as death of close and beloved people. Also, people who experience serious or long-term or incurable diseases could develop grief. Grief affects one physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally as well as in social wellbeing. As a result, victims would respond to grief in unusual ways, such as anger, fatigue, lack of sleep, loss of appetite, gloominess, losing hope and developing depression among others. Some people may not recover from grief and help would be necessary to enable victims to overcome grief successfully and live a normal life. There are several studies developed that could be used by individuals as well as health caregivers to handle grief. Spirituality has strong relationships with grief and varied religions have different ways of combating grief. This paper aims to compare and contrast the process of grieving as described by Kübler-Ross in the story of Job in the Bible with another religion, particularly Islam. In addition, the paper will compare the interaction and relationship between joy and the grieving models. Eventually, it will relate research with my own preferred method of dealing with grief and stating whether my opinion on grief has been changed by the research.
Kubler-Ross developed five stages of dealing with grief of death and bereavement, trauma and other changes in people that would be offered through counseling. The stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance (Chapman, 2013). These stages can apply in many other areas where people face calamities and are helpful to everyone since almost everyone face grief in life. These stages apply in the suffering of Job in the Bible. Job showed denial when he tore his mantel, shaved head and fell on the ground. He even said he was born without anything and so would be when he dies. This action showed shock as Job was not prepared for sudden losses. Job expressed anger by cursing the day when he was born, claiming would have rather been born still (faiththerapy.org, N.D). This showed death would have been better being alive and was out of anger. Job also bargained with God for the suffering he underwent and constantly pleaded his wishes. He showed depression and loss of hope saying his days went swifter and were spent without hope. Eventually, Job showed acceptance of what had happened to him and had his relationship with God restored. Job's acts are consistent with the discussion of Kubler on th...