Regardless of a practitioner's theoretical orientation their framework should incorporate an approach to loss that affirms the very personal unique experience of loss for the individual. .
The traditional theoretical orientations .
The central focus of the Psychodynamic viewpoint, Freud (1917) was the concept of "grief work" where the therapist could foster insight into the internal process and struggles of the individual and facilitate "recovery". The emphasis was on individual emotional responses to loss, without consideration of external factors. Ambivalence in the relationship with the deceased was the given great significance by Freud who considered this issue to be at the core of pathological grief. Along with Bowlby (1961) Freud assumed intense prolonged grief to be pathological in nature stemming from flaws in emotional development in childhood. Ambivalent and/or avoidant relationships with the deceased related to development of complicated mourning in the form of chronic grief and absent grief. (Fraley & Shaver, 1999) .
Bowlby's Attachment theory (1961) was the first model to define the mourning process in stages. He theorized that humans make strong affectional bonds with others and experience strong emotional reactions when those bonds are threatened or broken. (Worden, J.W.) In contrast to Freud's viewpoint he introduced the importance of interpersonal perspective with respect to mourning. .
Cognitive-Behavioral theorists consider that the mourning is an active process that is influenced by the cognition and coping strategies of the individual. This contrasts with Freud's view that the process was mostly uncontrollable by outside influences and the responsibility of "grief work" lay with the individual. Upon identification of maladaptive patterns of coping a practitioner may introduce more adaptive patterns of coping resulting in the acceleration of the mourning process.
