Five Stages Of Grief: Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Five stages of grief Name: Institutional Affiliation: The whole thought of death or even the process of dying is something that is always logged permanently at the back of every person’s mind. While quite inevitable, it is always a painful experience as no one is ever ready for it. Grief as an emotion usually comes about during any instance of loss, ranging from the loss of a job, a breakup or death. It is the same process in all these kinds of losses. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross proposed five stages of grief, which should be used not as a rule of thumb, but as a guideline for the same. Nicholas Wolterstoff further illustrates this experience of grieving in his book Lament for a Son, where he writes as a grieving father who lost his 25-year-old son. People deal differently with grief and Nicholas, a writer, sees writing down what he feels like one way. This essay shall analyze his book; Lament for a Son, and also see how Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief are expressed in the book. The essay shall also cover questions on how Wolterstoff finds joy after a loss, the meaning of life and significance of death in the book and how the hope for resurrection plays a role in comforting Wolterstoff. To a greater extent, this paper also aims at illustrating the similar experiences of grief in both the Christian and normal perspective. Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief as expressed in Lament for a Son Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Wolterstoff, though not well described in his book, is angry that his son dies at such a young age (Kьbler-Ross, & Kessler, 2005). He is annoyed that the future he was hoping for has been destroyed. He is angry that he is burying his son rather than his son burying him. His denial is seen when he thinks of the 25 years that he guarded him and that now he is smashed. He is depressed as he even visualizes the pain that the Jewish parents went through when they had to sacrifice one child. The bargaining stage produces hope and allows one to avoid grief. Wolterstoff is seen in the bargaining stage when he hopes that God will re-create his son. He believes in resurrection and knows that he will one day see his son. His acceptance stage is seen when he believes and accepts that his son’s death will give him eternity with God. He believes in the bible where death is not the final destination, but those who live their lives well will ...