Meaning-making in bereavement transitions: review and clinical relevance

Abstract This chapter characterizes meaning-making in the context of grief during bereavement, emphasizing its fundamentally social nature and offering several approaches to identifying the extent and nature of the meaning the bereaved has made of a loss. Theoretical developments and empirical research are presented to highlight the crucial role that meaning-making appears to play in recovery and posttraumatic growth following the death of a significant person. By contrast, disrupted meaning-making is described as a mediator of impairing bereavement outcomes, particularly prolonged grief disorder. Clinical procedures and techniques for facilitating meaning-making among the bereft are detailed, including a discussion of their therapeutic rationale and indications for their use in grief therapy. A case vignette illustrates the concepts and clinical processes reviewed in the chapter.