Death And Funeral As It Relates To A Social Institution

From a social perspective, death translates into difficult encounter that the members of the affected social institution would like to get over soon. Loss and grieve characterize the mood of the bereaved in nearly all social institutions, a phenomenon of the advanced social life that human beings have. In a general setting, the departure of the diseased creates a somber detachment since the social bond that binds the members of a social institution is usually strongly manifested at that time. Loss of a loved one can leave a huge mark on the bereaved, especially in the family setting to such an extent that the emotional aspect of grieving is extended long after the burial. In such scenarios, assistance is necessitated by the fact that psychological breakdown can easily be experienced.

In the family setting for instance, the loss of a member can result in a serious foiled attachment consequence if the necessary psychological assistance is not accorded to the victim (Kennedy, 45). Some of the most devastating grieving experiences occasioned by the death of a family member include; loss of a child, loss of a spouse, loss of a parent and loss of a sibling. There may be other serious grieving scenarios where members of the extended family were closely attached to a member of the family such as what happens in a nuclear family. An example of a serious loss experience is when a grandparent dies when exercising the custody of his or her grandchildren, who get the shock upon the death. Te basic element of such grieving is the attachment that members of the family develop with each other over the years. In some situations, where the relations are tense and inappropriate to befit a family setting, death may not affect the bereaved.

Coping with the death of a close member of a social institution is a psychological state that only a few can handle. Psychological assistance is offered in assisting the grieving members to come to terms with the fact that the departed is finally gone and assist them continue with life without the dead. A series of stages are brought out in the grief and loss therapy where denial and anger are first dealt with. Acceptance of death and healing from the shock of the loss of a beloved one should facilitate the necessary coping that ends grieving (Moshe, 238). Episodes of bitter emotional breakdowns are expected in the sessions since grief and loss is a highly emotional therapy. Silence does not imply that every member of the family is well with the results of the loss and counseling sessions should be offered to tackle any withdrawal symptoms.

From a social conflict perspective, it is largely agreeable that several disputes arise from death of a member of a social institution. Ranging from petty burial site conflicts to complex inheritance rows, death has been recorded as a source of discord among members of a social institution. According to Maslin (8), the death of a parent can be a source of misunderstanding and conflict among siblings. In areas where a family’s rule may be seen to be under threat, the death of the parent may cause tension not only among the members of the family but also among the power searching opponents of such a political organization thereby creating a conflict (Scheele, 860). From the conflict perspective, it follows that the death of a member of a social institution creates an instability that seems almost impossible to be present while the member is alive. For instance, for inheritance wrangles among members of a family upon the death of a parent, the conflicting parties would find it inappropriate to instigate any differences in the presence of their parent. As reported by McGoldrick (441), issues arise regarding the will of the dying which can result in a preventable conflict. The author holds the opinion that if the appropriate intervention is sought before the dying leaves the uncertainty in the will at the final moments of life, then conflicts would not be prevalent.

From a symbolic interactionism approach, death is a moment that defines the relationship that one has over his or her entire life. People create relationships with both humans and objects to build their own constructs about life and they stick to their perceptions till death. At their hour of death, what was uniquely dear to them may be manifested to reveal a part of their character that others did not know. One of the main reasons why people develop such unique relationship perceptions is dependent on their social life with their social world. According to Abbuhl (1), it is clear that at death, one’s own social life may be subject of analysis to reveal how important social life is to every human being. For instance, the disclosure of love for musical instruments attested by the presence of a variety of collections for the same can be used to draw a conclusion of how the dead person lived among music lovers.

Works Cited

Abbuhl, Shannon “Extreme Isolation of Symbolic Interaction,” 2010. Web. HYPERLINK “http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~sa337397/symbolic.htm” http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~sa337397/symbolic.htm (Accessed 25 April 2011)

Kennedy, A. Your loved one lives on within you. New York, NY: Berkley Publishers, 1997. Print

Maslin, Janet “Carefree Look at Death Reveals Family Conflicts: Review.” New York Times, Issue 24 April 1992, p.8. Print

McGoldrick, Monica “Thoughts on the Importance of Wills in Family Relationships: A Clinical Approach to Elizabeth Stone.” Family Process, 47.4(2008):441-444

Moshe, Israelashvili “Staying Normal in an Abnormal Corner of the World: Mental Health Counseling in Israel,” HYPERLINK “http://search.proquest.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/docview.lateralsearchlink_1:lateralsearch/sng/pubtitle/Journal+of+Mental+Health+Counseling/$N?t:ac=198719833/12EF3B6DF0C196740A1/2&t:cp=maintain/resultcitationblocks” o “Click to search for more items from this journal” Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27.3(2005):238-248

Scheele, Judith “Algerian Graveyard Stories.” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 12.4(2006):859-879