A widow, whose spouse died 3 years ago, has recently started dating and is thinking about going back to school to complete a degree she had started at an earlier age. Which of Bowlby's phases of mourning best describes this behavior?

Question

a. Numbing
b. Yearning and searching
c. Disorganization and despair
d. Reorganization

Answer 1

D
During the final phase of reorganization, which usually requires a year or more, the person accepts unaccustomed roles, acquires new skills, and builds new relationships. In the numbing phase, a person has periods of extremely intense emotion and reports feeling "stunned" or "unreal." The numbing phase lasts from several hours to a week. The yearning and searching phase evokes emotional outbursts, tearful sobbing, and acute distress. To move forward, people need to experience this painful phase of grief. During the phase of disorganization and despair an individual spends much time thinking about how and why the loss occurred. The person often expresses anger at anyone he or she believes to be responsible. Gradually this phase gives way to an acceptance that the loss is permanent.