Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center

4:00 pm -  5:00 pm, Social Room, Mellon Institute

"Attachment in Bereavement: Continuing vs. Relinquishing Bonds"

Margaret S. Stroebe, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University

How, and for whom, does continuing versus relinquishing bonds either sustain - or complicate - the grieving process?  Drawing on empirical research, Dr. Stroebe will examine how people go about grieving the loss of a significant person in their lives and come to terms with the death. She will suggest a theoretical paradigm to further understanding of the nature of (in)effective coping (The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement, Stroebe & Schut, 1999). In addition, she will argue for an integration of attachment theory concepts into this stress-coping perspective, leading to an extension of our original model. This revised paradigm enables predictions about the extent to which, and the circumstances under which, bonds with the deceased will be usefully retained versus relinquished. It also gives potential insight into the differential effects of disclosure: why does sharing one's grief help some but not other persons?

Dr. Stroebe received her doctoral degree from the University of Bristol (U.K.) and has since served as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Marburg (Germany), University of Massachusetts (U.S.), and University of Tubingen (Germany).  In 1992, she moved to Utrecht University where she is currently an Associate Professor.  She has published extensively on the subject of grieving and bereavement is a member of several journal editorial boards including Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, Mortality, and Omega: Journal of Death and Dying.  In 2002, Dr. Stroebe received the  Scientific Research Award of the American Association of Death Education and Counseling.