[Grief and the work of grief]

In this article, the grief process is described and discussed. Differences between grief and disease processes are discussed. The first systematic study of bereavement and grief by Lindemann (1944) is described in detail. A comparison is made of two different concepts: one in which the grief process is divided in phases of coping and adaptation, and one in which the process is divided on the basis of "grief work", tasks that need to be performed for adaptation and adequate coping behaviour to occur. Determinants that influence the grief process and risk factors that may have a negative influence on it are discussed. Finally, a distinction is made between normal and pathological grief processes and attention is drawn to measures that may prevent pathological processes.