The Meaning of Loss Codebook: Construction of a System for Analyzing Meanings Made in Bereavement

Abstract

Recent research on grieving populations has emphasized the role of meaning making in adaptation to bereavement, typically relying on simple self-reports of the extent to which respondents have been able to find sense or benefit in their loss. The present article reports the development of a reliable and comprehensive coding system for analyzing meanings made in the wake of the death of a loved one, yielding a 30-category codebook demonstrating excellent reliability, and comprising both negative and positive themes that arise as grievers attempt to make sense of loss. Based on an intensive qualitative analysis of a diverse sample of 162 adults mourning the natural or violent death of a variety of loved ones, the Meaning of Loss Codebook could prove useful in process-outcome studies of grief therapy, analysis of naturalistic first-person writing about bereavement experiences in grief diaries and blogs, and clinical assessment of meanings made in the course of bereavement support or professional intervention.

Prolonged grief symptomatology following violent loss: the mediating role of meaning

“…However, death-related loss can challenge the orienting system of the bereft leading them to engage in meaning making (Park, 2010; Park & Folkman, 1997). This process entails retaining, reaffirming, revising, and/or replacing elements of the orienting system to develop more nuanced, complex, and useful narratives that accommodate the reality of the loss and its implications for the mourner (Bonanno, Wortman, & Nesse, 2004; Gillies, Neimeyer, & Milman, 2014; MacKinnon et al, 2013; Neimeyer, 2000; Neimeyer & Sands, 2011; Park, 2010; Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006). When the bereft make progress in negotiating the effect of the loss on their orienting systems, they have made meaning (Gillies et al, 2014).…”

“…This process entails retaining, reaffirming, revising, and/or replacing elements of the orienting system to develop more nuanced, complex, and useful narratives that accommodate the reality of the loss and its implications for the mourner (Bonanno, Wortman, & Nesse, 2004; Gillies, Neimeyer, & Milman, 2014; MacKinnon et al, 2013; Neimeyer, 2000; Neimeyer & Sands, 2011; Park, 2010; Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006). When the bereft make progress in negotiating the effect of the loss on their orienting systems, they have made meaning (Gillies et al, 2014). Thus, the term meaning has been used to refer both to the process of meaning making, wherein one finds/constructs meaning, as well as the outcome of this process, meaning made, wherein one has found/constructed meaning (e.g.…”

“…Thus, the term meaning has been used to refer both to the process of meaning making, wherein one finds/constructs meaning, as well as the outcome of this process, meaning made, wherein one has found/constructed meaning (e.g. Gillies et al, 2014). The manner in which meaning manifests is determined by how the bereaved have negotiated the challenge to their orienting systems.…”

The transformative meanings of viewing or not viewing the body after sudden death

“…Central to the integrative understanding of bereavement is the process of constructing meaning to the life now lived without the deceased (Gillies, Neimeyer, & Milman, 2013).…”

Blogs de mães enlutadas: o luto e as tecnologias de comunicação

“…A construção de significados observados nas narrativas dos blogs e apresentados neste estudo foi categorizada segundo código de significados relacionados à perda e ao luto proposto por Gillies, Neimeyer e Milman (2014).…”