Though the grieving process, also called
bereavement, consists of predictable kinds of
responses and feelings, each person handles grief
uniquely. The range of emotions associated with
grief includes sadness, anger, disbelief, denial,
despair, numbness, and guilt. A person may expe-
rience some or all of these emotions at varying
intensities and periods of time. Grief can be over-
whelming and incapacitating, particularly at its
onset and in circumstances of unexpected loss.
Grief is also important for HEALINGfrom the sense
of loss.
A person who is grieving may appreciate sup-
port and comfort from others or may prefer to
grieve in private. It is important for the grieving
person to know others are there, however. Rituals
such as funeral ceremonies are among the ways
societies deal with grieving in communal ways.
Age, culture, and spiritual beliefs are among the
many factors that influence the expression and
process of grieving.
See also DEPRESSION; END OF LIFE CONCERNS; INTER-
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS; SPIRITUAL BELIEFS AND HEALTH
CARE.
interpersonal relationships The partnerships
and associations people form with other people.
These may include family, friendship, intimate,
sexual, workplace, and social relationships.
Though the need to socialize is universal, individ-
uals and cultures approach social bonds in differ-
ent ways. Some people prefer a few close
individual partnerships that have a fairly substan-
tial degree of intimacy. Other people prefer to
socialize with groups in which there is no distinct
pairing or partnering. Such group relationships
often form around common interests, ranging
from sports and recreational activities to religious
beliefs and intellectual or educational pursuits.
Gender and generation also influence the ways of
socialization and the nature of relationships.
Whatever their configuration, interpersonal
relationships are essential for emotional and psy-
chologic health and often also for physical well-
being. Numerous studies show that people who
live in isolation are more likely to develop psycho-
logic conditions such as depression as well as
physical health problems. The romanticized notion
that one could die of a broken HEARTbecomes sub-
stantiated in reality in situations when people lose
their longtime partners, particularly men whose
wives die before them. Studies show that even
interaction with pets improves emotional stability
and satisfaction with life.
Intentional deprivation of interpersonal rela-
tionships, such as may occur with CHILD ABUSE, can
cause lifelong and sometimes irreparable psycho-
logic damage that inhibits the ability to form
friendships and intimate partnerships. Relation-
ships with parents and siblings are the first to
form. Family life provides early guidance and
teaches the skills a person needs to develop rela-
tionships outside the circle of family.
See also AUTISM; DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; ELDER ABUSE;
PEER PRESSURE; PROBLEM SOLVING AND CONFLICT RESO-
LUTION; QUALITY OF LIFE.248 Human Relations