Vicarious grief: An intergenerational phenomenon?

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Abstract
A phenomenon that might be termed “vicarious grief” was unexpectedly observed during a time perspective interview study conducted in the Sun Cities (Arizona) area. Some of the elderly respondents spontaneously expressed sorrow for the loss suffered by another person. These expressions of grief were comparable with those often seen in direct grief, although there may be important differences as well (such as duration of response). The vicarious grief phenomenon is illustrated with excerpts from tape recorded interviews. It is possible that experiences gained over the course of a long life sensitize some older adults (mainly women in this study) to the emotional implications of bereavements suffered by the young. Attention to vicarious grief might prove a useful key to learning more about empathy and compassion in later life and to sorrows thai seldom come to light.

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