The final curtain : a hermeneutic phenomenological study exploring the lived experience of male grief

• Main Author: Work, Fiona
• Published: University of Aberdeen 2013
• Subjects: 610.73; Grief in men
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.619174

The original contribution to the body of knowledge in this thesis explores the lived experience of males who have experienced grief following the loss of a significant other. Natural male grief, as defined in this study, is a painful reaction for a bereaved male in the absence of complicated or pathological symptoms; as defined in International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) (WHO 1990) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)(American Psychiatric Association 2000) categories. Natural grief is whereby, an individual manages to continue their activities of daily living, without additional support from health services for their grief. Unfortunately, defining the term "natural grief" had additional challenges as the bereavement literature is flourished with pathology-focused studies (Rothaupt and Becker 2007). Little evidence exists in the nursing literature regarding the topic of natural male grief and this study set out to address this gap. The methodological approach used in this study was that of hermeneutic phenomenology as influenced by Hans-Georg Gadamer (1976). Using purposive sampling, thirteen men openly shared their grief stories in unstructured tape recorded interviews. Finally, the data was manually analysed to generate the themes of the findings. The findings in the study discuss the importance families play in natural grief and the reforming of family bonds after a bereavement, especially for eldest sons; the importance of death language in bereavement especially in relation to grief stories, euphemisms, black humour, self-talk and "not talking ill of the dead"; the importance of the empty chair syndrome; the hierarchical bereavement pyramid; compartmentalisation and orchestration of grief. It is recommended that further research be undertaken to examine issues raised in this study, and guide practitioners against stereotypical assumptions in relation to male grief and the importance of family dynamics.