The article explores a sociological perspective on grief as a social emotion. Focusing on the social bond with the deceased, the self-concept of the survivor or the power of feeling rules, general sociological theories of emotions (symbolic interactionism, structural theory, behavioral theory) have the potential to deepen the understanding of grief as a social emotion. The article concludes by presenting a cognitive-structural model of grief that integrates the different theoretical elements.
The frequency of the experience of particular emotions can be considered a measure of subjective well-being and therefore an indicator of the quality of life in the overall population. Key approaches to the sociology of emotions provide the theoretical background to this study. On the basis of Swiss Household Panel (SHP) data for the years 2005-2011, a random effects regression assessed relationships between the frequency of negative emotions (desperation, anxiety and depression) and the parameters of individual socioeconomic status. The results suggest that negative emotions are experienced differently along status- and resource-based predictors such as education, income and occupational status. These associations persist when controlling for key variables of mental health and stress research such as critical life events, chronic stressors and social resources.
Losses are part of the human condition. And these losses are multifaceted—as diverse as human bonds can be. In this article, I review and analyze the diversity of loss experiences and the notion of loss of self. A sociology of loss illuminates the universes of meaning that refer to person/person, person/animal, or person/object relations and involve different kinds of losses that can be grieved. It also broaches the issue of the social regulation of losses and specific loss norms. Finally, I will present a general model that integrates the various perspectives on loss.
Zusammenfassung: Die Soziologie interessiert sich für die soziale Verteilung und Determinanten von traurigkeit als teil der gefühlskultur einer gesellschaft. Sie eröffnet zugleich potenziale für das themenfeld der sozialen ungleichheit von emotionen. auf der grundlage einer Querschnittsanalyse von Daten des Schweizer Haushalt-panels (SHp) werden Zusammenhänge zwischen der Häufigkeit der erlebten Traurigkeit und Merkmalen der sozialstrukturellen Position, des sozialen Kontextes sowie in Abhängigkeit von kritischen Lebensereignissen geprüft. Der Beitrag bestätigt Variationen von Traurigkeit entlang sozialer Merkmale wie Geschlecht, Einkommen, Alter, Nationalität und Sprachregion.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.