Dealing with Loss in the Family Context

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Abstract
A family systems analysis of two therapy cases contradicts conventional views of mourning as being primarily an individual experience or measurable most importantly in terms of short-term impact on health. Rather, the event of a father's death is shown in one case to compound problems slowly over five years, whereas in another case, it facilitates the young adult son's process of maturation. The particular patterns of the family prior to the death and their larger sociocultural context are shown to be essential to the diagnosis and the choice of appropriate strategies for therapy.