This article examines how postmortem/funerary photography has created an historical as well as a cultural construction of visual images in the grieving process. Social practices of the display and use of postmortem photos are compared from the 19th century to present, revealing changes in societal attitudes over time. Modern rituals reflect the continued need to memorialize the deceased using a cherished keepsake, souvenir, or memento, such as a photograph. A new grieving ritual is observed, which emerged as a response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. This research employs theories from the discipline of visual sociology. The rarity of postmortem photography in the 21st century as a socially acceptable practice is acknowledged, as well as the value of using postmortem photos as an historical and cultural grieving ritual. Further research is recommended to continue the examination of attitudes toward death, while considering the use of visual aids (such as postmortem photography and other representations) as acceptable bereavement practices in contemporary U.S. culture.

This qualitative study used a symbolic interactionist approach to explore experiences of widowed baby boomers in the mid-west United States, who attend/ed grief support groups. Results from 38 personal interviews revealed three themes: (a) the importance of a support group as a safe haven coupled with the value of sharing a similar loss; (b) challenges related to group support; and (c) fractured individual and social selves. The evidence supports the idea that grief groups are effective in aiding the widowed in bereavement but also highlights a need to adjust the structure of group programs (specific to spousal loss). Recommendations are given for providers to consider addressing restoration-oriented stress as the group progresses (in lieu of a sole emphasis on loss-oriented tension). The new structure has the potential to recognise a fractured self in widowhood to meet the needs of, provide hope for, and empower widowed survivors in a 21 st century landscape.

One source people can rely on for clues on how to grieve a loss is through accounts of such experiences reported in the mass media. This research examines how grief has been reported at one newspaper of record for the U.S.: The New York Times. Using theories of social construction and the sick role, this exploratory study attempts to observe whether grieving is portrayed by media as a social problem, particularly as a health or medical issue which can be treated and cured, and also discusses those who are not identified in the mourner role in newspaper reports.

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This article will address altruism in the care giving of an ill person and also consider some of the factors—responsibility, empathy and motivation—that influence helping behavior. A literature review indicates ongoing disagreements among scholars in relation to altruism and its motives. Inquiries are made into empathetic reactions using spoken and unspoken cues, and a transformation of altruism into compassionate action is examined. Assumption of responsibility will be analyzed with special reference to the role of the provider of care for an ill person. Models, theories, and approaches relating to altruism are examined as well as the various causes that contribute to the behavior of the care taker, including cooperation. The impact of altruism on families and in relationships is discussed on a cultural level with respect to norms. Lastly, the research is applied to the Florida Terri Schindler/ Schiavo case and its subjects, relating altruism and care giving to an assumed Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) patient.