Description
Book SynopsisGrief can be an isolating experience. When a family member dies the loss goes beyond individual grief. Its concentric circles encompass all the living members of a family, and even alter interactions within that family. In Families Making Sense of Death, Janice Winchester Nadeau explores the healing process within the family context. Through interviews and analysis, she takes a look at the dynamics at work in families in which a member has died. With a keen sense of empathy, the author shares stories that show how, gradually, families come to terms with their grief and make sense of death, as time goes by. This family meaning-making is not a linear process. It is alternately stimulated and inhibited within a family. Nadeau draws conclusions from her research about which particular social factors and conditions play a role in the overall outcome. She succeeds in showing not only how different families cope with death within the family, but also how skillful and sensitive field research is done.
Table of ContentsMeaning-Making as a Family Process Past Attempts to Understand Family Meaning-Making Capturing Family Meaning-Making Patterns of Meaning-Making Stories, Dreams, Comparing and Coincidencing Characterization and Family Speak Negative and Ultimate Meanings Meanings about Death and Family Change Looking into the Future
