From Private Pain to Shared Sorrow: A Process Model of Collective Bereavement

Despite the profound social significance of mass bereavement, the psychological processes underlying collective bereavement remain theoretically underdeveloped. This article proposes a dynamic process model grounded in Intergroup Emotions Theory (IET) and Self-Categorization Theory (SCT), arguing that collective bereavement is a qualitatively distinct, group-based phenomenon emerging through four interconnected stages: appraisal of an event as a group-relevant loss, activation of social identity salience, group-based emotional experience, and collective coping responses. The model identifies four core functions of collective bereavement -enhancing solidarity, sensitizing society, sustaining collective memory, and strengthening belongingness- and specifies the psychological mechanisms through which these functions operate. Drawing on evidence from intergroup emotions, collective trauma, and social movements, this article advances theoretical propositions concerning the intensity, scope, and consequences of mass grief.