Bereavement rituals and their related psychosocial functions in a Northern Sotho community of South Africa

Makgahlela, Mpsanyana; Sodi, Tholene; Nkoana, Shai; Mokwena, Jabu

doi:10.1080/07481187.2019.1616852

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Contrary to reports of bereavement rituals positively contributing toward bereaved persons' psychological wellbeing (Msimanga-Ramatebele, 2008, unpublished;Makgahlela et al, 2021), participants reported being negatively affected by the stigmatization associated with distinctive mourning clothes and widowhood, in general. This study's only male participant had a shorter mourning period.…”

Section: Withdrawal Of Support Social Isolation and Stigmatization During Bereavementcontrasting

confidence: 72%

“…Acknowledgement and remembrance of the deceased evolve along with their transcendence into the spiritual world, as demonstrated by the rites performed at different stages after their death. Beyond their cultural significance and therapeutic effects on the bereaved (Msimanga-Ramatebele, 2008, unpublished;Makgahlela et al, 2021), the cultural rituals performed after a spouse's death play an important role in widows' appraisal of the psychosocial support and care that they have received from designated elders (Msimanga-Ramatebele, 2008, unpublished). The latter signifies the importance of psychosocial support to bereaved spouses, and the manner in which its provision is played out in, or interlinked with cultural rites following a spouse's death.…”

Section: The Psychosocial Benefits Of Bereavement Ritualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bereavement rituals in Black South African cultures before and after the burial include bereaved spouses ingesting specially prepared herbs, shaving their heads, wearing mourning clothes, and undergoing ritual cleansing after the traditional mourning period elapses (Makgahlela et al, 2021). Ancestor reverence rituals also take place before and after the burial, and continue in varying forms long thereafter (Baloyi and Makobe-Rabothata, 2014;Makgahlela et al, 2021). Makgahlela et al (2021, p. 97) acknowledge that these rituals hold multiple psychosocial benefits for the bereaved; among these, is ensuring that grief does not become "disabling and protracted" for the bereaved.…”

Section: The Psychosocial Benefits Of Bereavement Ritualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Support Experiences of Spousally Bereaved Individuals in a South African Township Community: The Botho/Ubuntu Perspective

Thomas

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Bereavement is a deeply personal experience that is also shaped by one’s socio-cultural context. This qualitative study explored the social support experiences and needs of spousally bereaved individuals in a South African township. The botho/ubuntu philosophical framework was used to interpret participants’ experiences in this regard. Six ethnically diverse, bereaved spouses aged 55–67years, residing in a predominantly Setswana-speaking township in the North West Province of South Africa, were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. An indigenous knowledge consultant was interviewed to situate participant experiences pertaining to mourning rites and traditions within the indigenous socio-historical and contemporary cultural context. The following themes were identified: (i) Sources of social support during bereavement; (ii) Inadequate social support after spousal death; (iii) The need for grief counseling; and (iv) Social restrictions and systematic isolation during the traditional mourning period: “It is as if you smell.” Broadly, bereaved spouses drew on their support networks at various stages of their bereavement, which included family members, in-laws, friends, burial societies, their surrounding communities, and religious communities and figures. However, some experienced ostracization and stigmatization during the mourning period, which was invariably longer for the widows in this study, in line with conventions across Black South African cultures. Some participants reported withdrawal of support by their in-laws and harmful attitudes and assumptions rooted in patriarchal ideology by family members and in-laws. As pertaining to botho/ubuntu, the study also showed that communality or relationality entailed both positive and negative aspects, including support, co-operation, care, lack of support, stigmatization, and ostracization. Unlike conventional conceptualizations of botho/ubuntu, the study findings illustrate the human experience as comprising varying dimensions of relationality, ranging from harmony to disharmony. Findings regarding the negative aspects of communality are compatible with those relating to relational interdependence in African and East Asian settings. The findings also expand our understanding of the nature of disharmony alongside harmony in interdependent socio-cultural contexts.

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Section: Withdrawal Of Support Social Isolation and Stigmatization During Bereavementcontrasting

confidence: 72%

Section: The Psychosocial Benefits Of Bereavement Ritualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Psychosocial Benefits Of Bereavement Ritualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Social Support Experiences of Spousally Bereaved Individuals in a South African Township Community: The Botho/Ubuntu Perspective

Thomas

2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…According to Walter (2007), psychology and psychiatry practitioners tend to look at grief as an experience that affects an individual and, as a result, they focus on attending to this as 'individual grief' instead of seeing and acknowledging grief as a social experience influenced by people's cultures. A growing body of work focusing on grief work from an African perspective has emerged in the past few decades (Baloyi & Makobe-Rabothata 2014;Canham 2020;Makgahlela et al 2019;Nwoye 2000Nwoye , 2005Nwoye & Nwoye 2012). These authors offer various critiques on the limitations and problematic nature of Euro-Western approaches to grief.…”

Section: Psycho-theological Insights On Grieving During Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both sets of rituals are integral to attaining closure for the deceased and the bereaved. (p. 46) According to Makgahlela et al (2019):…”

Section: Psycho-theological Insights On Grieving During Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grieving during a pandemic: A psycho-theological response

Kgatle

Segalo

2021

Verbum et Ecclesia

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Collective grieving during the death and the burial processes of a loved one forms part of the healing process of many Africans in different contexts. However, with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the various restrictions imposed during the hard lockdown, the form and shape of grieving has had to change. Factors such as limitations on the number of people who can attend the funeral, lack of contact with the corpse, overall travel restrictions and shortened funeral services have contributed to how people mourn and grieve together. Using a psycho-theological framework, this article argues for the importance of giving serious consideration to both the psychological and spiritual well-being of mourners, specifically in the context of COVID-19. Drawing on an Afrocentric perspective and using a psychological and theological analysis, the article will examine grief, bereavement and mourning, and highlight the ways in which COVID-19 has affected these processes. This analysis will afford us the opportunity to redefine grieving as a psychological and theological response.Interdisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article juxtaposes the theological perspectives with psychological perspectives in analysing the concept of grief during a pandemic. This article suggests communal grieving in contrast to individualised grieving in order to cope with pandemics such as COVID-19.

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“They brought my smile back”: A phenomenological description of widows’ experiences of psychosocial support

2019

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The consequences of widowhood can be overwhelming. Widows sometimes experience difficulties to obtain psychosocial support to overcome the challenges they face. In this phenomenological study, purposively selected widows were asked about their experiences of widowhood in terms of different sources of support. The analysis illuminated the meaning widows attach to different sources of psychosocial support. Participants experienced both positive and negative encounters with their sources of support. During negative encounters, widows experienced feelings of disappointment; and when their psychosocial support needs were met, they experienced a sense of happiness and a positive level of satisfaction.

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Bereavement rituals and their related psychosocial functions in a Northern Sotho community of South Africa

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Social Support Experiences of Spousally Bereaved Individuals in a South African Township Community: The Botho/Ubuntu Perspective

Social Support Experiences of Spousally Bereaved Individuals in a South African Township Community: The Botho/Ubuntu Perspective

Grieving during a pandemic: A psycho-theological response

“They brought my smile back”: A phenomenological description of widows’ experiences of psychosocial support

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