Wendy Lichtenthal, Ph.D., a bereavement science researcher, is available to discuss 鈥減arasocial grief鈥� 鈥� that which occurs when a celebrity, political figure or other highly recognized person dies. In her research, Lichtenthal, founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Bereavement Care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, , focuses on advancing bereavement science and 鈥渕eaning-centered鈥� grief therapy for families, caregivers and others. She provides an overview of why we may grieve the loss of someone who has been in the news but not in our personal lives.
News — Many people are surprised by the intensity of their response when a well-known person dies, and their feelings of sadness may last longer than they expect. In fact, that sadness and grief can be intense, and preliminary research suggests that grief after the death of a public figure looks very similar to grief over our personal relationships and can have comparable levels of intensity.
, a bereavement science researcher and founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Bereavement Care at , is available to discuss “parasocial grief” – that which occurs when a celebrity, political figure or other highly recognized person dies.
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