Healthy Grief - Admission/Application Essay Example

In her book, “On Death and Dying” Kubler-Ross, a Swiss doctor identifies five stages of grief, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. A healthy grief, according to Dr. Kubler, is the one that follows this model of grief that would help one survive. In the denial stage, there is a sense of unbelief that the grieving person has lost what he or she values. Dr. Kubler argues that the denial is simply rejecting or refusing that death or loss has happened or is happening.

The denial stage is summarized by the phrase “This can’t be happening.” Job’s first response to his loss of children and property may be considered denial. At this stage, Job wonders how life will take place and is in a deep state of shock. His despair is beyond measure and in Job 1: 21 he responds by saying “The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.” In the denial stage, Job refuses to accept information and the reality relating to what happened. He adopts the defense mechanism when he states that whatever he had belonged to God and it is Him who has taken it away.

In Job 2: 10, Job argues that if we take happiness from God’s hands, we must also accept sorrow from Him. Job’s arguments may look acceptance, but they are only popular proverbs that help him overcome his hurt. Dr. Kubler-Ross highlights the second stage as Anger. A person becomes angry with oneself, at the caregivers and sometimes at God. At this stage, the person comes into terms with the reality and wonders why it happened to them. The common questions asked include why it is happening.

However, this resentment ends with time. In Job 2:13, Job experiences loneliness, his friends sit by his side and for seven days, they never utter a word because they do not understand how they can help him. In Job 3:11, 12:20, 23 all the why questions