Grief

In today's Chicago Tribune, there is a headline that reads, "Scientists measure five stages of grief". I was shocked when I saw this. I had no idea the concept was being questioned.

As a high school student close to thirty years ago, we were taught the five stages of grief. Never was it presented that people do not respond in this way. The five stages came to mind during a movie we saw this weekend. I won't tell you which because I do not want to spoil the movie for you. Still, the main character went through each stage: disbelief, yearning, anger, depression and finally acceptance. It did not take the character six months, but they needed to wrap up the story.

Ronald Kotulak's story is interesting, although I am still not certain why we spent three years determining something we already knew. I realize that the scientists were not just determining if the stages were true, but the length of each stage, etc.

There are some thoughts found in this article about coping with grief and how to recognize when counciling is necessary. Kotulak, the Tribune science reporter, does a good job of presenting the facts.

No offense to Kotulak or the Trib, but I cannot wait for the next article, where they share that scientists have determined that gravity exists on the earth!