Expectations about grief and evaluation of the griever

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Abstract
This study assessed the impact of subjects' expectations about grief on their evaluation of the interpersonal attractiveness of a griever. Female (91) and male (SI) undergraduates read a description of a college student grieving over the death of a friend who had died 3 months previously. The descriptions varied on the basis of the sex of the griever, type of death (sudden versus anticipated), and intensity of grief symptoms (high versus low). After reading the description, subjects were asked to rate how much they would like the griever as an acquaintance, co-worker, or friend and also how much fun the griever would be on a date or in a steady relationship. Results from a MANOVA indicated a three-way interaction, and, in general, that people's expectations about the grief process affect their judgments about the interpersonal functioning of the bereaved.

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