Human Development & the Ageing Process
Coversheet
Learner Name: Philip Hughes
Date of Submission: 1st March 2012
Course Code: ECS79
Course Contract: 042696
Module Title: Human Development & the Ageing Process
Module Code: 565
Test Title: Grief & Grieving
Test Code: CW1A
Word Count: 1967
Outline of the 5 stages of grief (Kubler-Ross 1970)
The 5 stages of grief or the Kubler-Ross model is a theory first put forward by Dr.Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death & Dying. Dr Kubler-Ross was a psychiatrist who had a particular interest in end of life care and the book & theory came as a result of discussions and interviews with over 500 terminally ill patients which took place at the University of Chicago Billings Hospital between 1965 and 1968.
This theory was initially formulated to describe a series of stages that can occur in a person on discovering that they had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a finite amount of time to live. It was later expanded to describe the feelings experienced by anyone suffering a significant loss or traumatic change in their life such as the death of a close friend or relative, going through a divorce or losing a job.
The 5 stages of grief are namely:
• Denial • Anger • Bargaining • Depression • Acceptance
(Also known by the acronym DABDA)
A common misunderstanding of this model occurs when people assume that this is a linear process and people experience every stage in a set order moving from one to the next in a particular sequence. In reality each person reacts uniquely in such situations. Some people can move forwards and backwards through the stages while others can experience 2 stages at the same time or even skip stages all together. Some stages may only last for a few seconds or minutes as the person’s moods alter throughout the process.
First Stage – Denial
Denial is a very common initial reaction in terminally ill patients.
Learner Name: Philip Hughes
Date of Submission: 1st March 2012
Course Code: ECS79
Course Contract: 042696
Module Title: Human Development & the Ageing Process
Module Code: 565
Test Title: Grief & Grieving
Test Code: CW1A
Word Count: 1967
Outline of the 5 stages of grief (Kubler-Ross 1970)
The 5 stages of grief or the Kubler-Ross model is a theory first put forward by Dr.Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death & Dying. Dr Kubler-Ross was a psychiatrist who had a particular interest in end of life care and the book & theory came as a result of discussions and interviews with over 500 terminally ill patients which took place at the University of Chicago Billings Hospital between 1965 and 1968.
This theory was initially formulated to describe a series of stages that can occur in a person on discovering that they had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a finite amount of time to live. It was later expanded to describe the feelings experienced by anyone suffering a significant loss or traumatic change in their life such as the death of a close friend or relative, going through a divorce or losing a job.
The 5 stages of grief are namely:
• Denial • Anger • Bargaining • Depression • Acceptance
(Also known by the acronym DABDA)
A common misunderstanding of this model occurs when people assume that this is a linear process and people experience every stage in a set order moving from one to the next in a particular sequence. In reality each person reacts uniquely in such situations. Some people can move forwards and backwards through the stages while others can experience 2 stages at the same time or even skip stages all together. Some stages may only last for a few seconds or minutes as the person’s moods alter throughout the process.
First Stage – Denial
Denial is a very common initial reaction in terminally ill patients.
References: 1. Kubler-Ross E (1969) On Death & Dying p.31 2 3. Kubler-Ross E (1969) On Death & Dying p.67 4 5. Clane College (2011) Human Development & the Ageing Process course notes p.49 Bibliography 7. Kubler-Ross E (1969) On Death & Dying 8