Case Study

Grief is a feeling from loss and everyone has this feeling but some people have yet to experience tragedy which means grief has not yet have been bestowed on them. Mourning is the outward social expression of the loss . Everyone in the world proccesses death and loss in many different ways. Different religions and cultures have a huge effect on a peron individual grief whether it is the coping methods, or how one prays for the dead. It s all the same but done differently in every type of culture. Different cultures have different myths, and mysteries about death that can affect attitues, behavior, beliefs and practices. Religions have different concepts on what happens after death, and the rituals they do to bring the dead to their scared place. The ways people feel grief are the similiar which means everyone has a way to help and get over the pain that they feel.

Impact of Culture on Tramua

Cultural views can shape individuals reaction to a traumatic experiences in life. Culture can influence what kinds of threats an individual would perceive as traumatic. It also influences both the community and the individual on how to interpret, understand the meaning of the traumatic event and how to react, express and process the information. It forms a circumstance in which the traumatized group or person can judge and view their own response to the event. Culture can help establish new and healthy pathways to a new and maybe even different life in the aftermath of the trauma (NASP, 2003).

Practices of Various Cultures

Most Hispanic populations practice the Roman Catholic faith, but not all do. Common rituals in the aftermath of a loved ones death are:

"High involvement of the priest in the funeral plans. Family and friends are encouraged to be part of the commemoration. The rosary is said by surviving loved ones, often at the home of the deceased. Among some Hispanic groups the rosary is said each night for nine nights after the death. Some families say the rosary every month for a year after the death and then repeat it on each anniversary. Funeral services often include a Mass" (NASP,2003)

Loved ones are often encouraged to express grief and respect toward the decease during the mass and any other ceremony given. Many of the closest friends and family are usually involved in the procession to the grave. It is also common for gifts of money to be given to the family members of the deceased to help with cost of services and burial (NASP,2003).

Religious observings of death

For those who practice in the faith of Christianity they live their live guided by the words of the Bible. To them the reality of death is acknowledged as part of the normal life cycle, and that the end result is mostly affected by