Grief and suffering
Abstract
Defines the processes of grief and suffering and contrasts and respectively correlates them with the conforming and the autonomous maturity levels. Grief is viewed as a less meaningful reaction than suffering because it focuses awareness on feelings of external loss which occur in a vacuum to a situation that no longer exists. In contrast, suffering can be more meaningful because it is a reaction to a present, and painful reality. In part the process of grieving avoids the full impact of the pain, which if experienced would be suffering.