In our society, the occurrence of death was once common in daily life but has now become a more personal matter. This shift provides an opportunity to examine how the ecological and strengths perspective influence our coping mechanisms for dealing with loss.
The focus of this essay is to explore how the grief experienced by a family, specifically a married couple with two preschoolers, who have tragically lost an older child, impacts their lives. The essay first delves into the ecological perspective, which examines the relationship between individuals and their surroundings. Additionally, it explores the strengths perspective, which aims to empower individuals. Furthermore, it argues that by applying the ecological perspective in conjunction with a strengths-based approach, social workers can effectively collaborate with clients in a family setting that has its own unique aspects. The essay also emphasizes the importance of social workers recognizing and addressing individual grieving alongside the dynamics of the family and its environment.
The text examines the interconnection between adaptation, stress, coping, and human relatedness, competence, self-direction, and self-esteem in relation to the environment of individuals. It employs the strengths perspective to assess clients’ capacities and assumes their ability to bounce back. The central idea is that both the ecological and strengths perspectives are essential in establishing a collaborative relationship when assisting a bereaved family. Historically, death was a frequent part of everyday life.
In the past, people had shorter life expectancy and high infant mortality rates. As a result, elderly, sick, and dying individuals were taken care of at home. This enabled children to witness death in their own households and participate in related customs, thereby gaining familiarity with the natural cycle of life. Furthermore, extended families used to reside nearby and offer each other assistance (McKissock, 1998). However, modern public health policies and technological advancements have led to births and deaths occurring outside of homes.
The changing work economy has resulted in family members being separated and unable to provide necessary support during difficult times. As a result, professionals have often taken on the role of primary caregivers (McKissock, 1998, p. 11). Consequently, many individuals have lost the ability to effectively cope with death in their lives. “Bereavement counseling and death education have emerged as a way to address the void created by the institutionalization and depersonalization of death” (McKissock, 1998, p.).
11). The ecological and strengths perspectives are helpful in understanding this phenomenon. The ecological perspective focuses on the interactions between people and their environments, including concepts such as stress, coping, adaptation, competence, autonomy, social networks, and organizations (Compton and Galway, 1999, p. 289).
According to Germain (1991), human beings…
The concept of achieving an adaptive balance with the environment is a goal for both individuals and communities. This relationship between the person and their environment is transactional, meaning that both entities exchange and change in ways that impact each other. This transactional concept allows social workers to focus on both the person and their environment, maintaining a holistic perspective. Understanding the relationship between people and their environments is crucial for fully comprehending either entity, as they are interconnected. (Germain, 1991)
The idea of adaptation is crucial in the ecological concept as it involves taking action. According to Germain (1991, p. 17), humans constantly strive for the most suitable match between their needs, rights, capacities, and aspirations on one side, and the characteristics of their environment on the other.
When a person’s person-environment fit is threatened, a social worker can help their client by utilizing the strengths perspective. The strengths perspective aims to empower individuals, helping them acknowledge the options available to them, understand the obstacles they encounter, reveal their aspirations, and utilize their inner and outer resources to enhance their overall quality of life (Saleebey, 2001).
According to Blundo (2001), the current focus in social work is on highlighting the strengths of clients instead of their problems. Social workers now collaborate with clients in a client-directed approach, rather than directing their own actions. This change also requires social workers assisting bereaved families to begin at the initial stages of grief and offer support to both individuals and the entire family.
According to Bouvard (1998, p. 31) and Germain (1991, p. 17), the expression and coping mechanisms of grief differ for each individual. Germain emphasizes the transactional nature of various aspects such as adaptedness, adaptation, stress, coping, power withholding as oppression, human relatedness, competence, self-direction, and self-esteem.
When confronted with death, each member of a family will face their own individual challenges in dealing with the situation. Dealing with death involves two main functions: problem-solving, which entails taking actions to reduce, eliminate, or manage the stress brought about by the situation; and regulating negative emotions that emerge as a result of the stress. According to Coyne and Lazarus (1980) cited in Germain (1991 p. 21), these functions are interconnected, and making progress in problem-solving helps restore self-esteem and enhances the ability to effectively regulate negative emotions caused by the demanding circumstances (Germain, 1991, p. 1).
Furthermore, problem solving becomes challenging until negative emotions are managed and can only be regulated if there is a sense of progress in resolving the issue. According to Germain (1991, p. 22), successful coping with severe stressors involves partially blocking out negative feelings and even distorting the reality of the situation in order to maintain hope and initiate problem solving. After the occurrence of a sudden death, the grieving individual experiences feelings of unreality, shock, and a dreamlike state which make it difficult for them to comprehend or emotionally grasp what has happened. The overwhelming impact of the death necessitates processing it gradually, akin to performing a role in a dramatic production (Gatenby, 1998).
According to Bouvard, the period of numbness provides us with the opportunity to gather our resources and deal with the effects of loss when we are better equipped to do so (p. 4). Additionally, Bouvard explains that the numbness serves as a protective shield until we are ready to experience the intense emotions that accompany loss (p. 35). Quoting Lazarus and Launier (1978), Germain (1991) describes adaptedness as the degree of fit between a person and their environment.
According to the author’s viewpoint on page 18, life stress has the potential to impact individuals in both positive and negative ways.
The relationship between a person who is negative or struggling and their surroundings happens when the demands or negative aspects of the environment, whether actual or perceived, surpass their ability to handle them. This leads to negative feelings like anxiety, guilt, rage, helplessness, despair, and decreased self-worth (Germain 1991, P. 19). Consequently, individuals feel susceptible to potential risks (Germain 1991).
Germain (1991) states that if stress is not managed, it can have adverse effects on growth, development, health, and social functioning. It is important for families to realize that the emotions felt during grief are normal and there is potential for improvement. Tonkin (1997) discusses the necessary adjustments in various aspects of life, including thoughts, hopes, beliefs, and future plans that must be made after experiencing the loss of a loved one.
According to Tonkin (1997), the grieving process is not rigid and family members may demonstrate grief in various ways. When a child is lost, parents must cope with their own sorrow and handle potential challenges in their relationship while also supporting and guiding their other children as they grieve.
A couple usually expects mutual support, but men and women have different coping mechanisms, resulting in potential irritation and stress. According to Bourvard (1998), women often express their grief through tears and talking, while men tend to remain silent and focus on their work. This discrepancy can lead the wife to wrongly assume that her husband is not experiencing any pain.
In light of a preschooler’s apparent lack of grief, a parent may mistakenly believe that the child is unaffected by the loss. To provide support for families, particularly those with preschool-aged children, social workers may reference Bronfenbrenner’s work to gain insight. According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, the family exists within a “microsystem” that is influenced by various social and economic factors, which can either enhance or diminish its ability to promote children’s welfare (Smith, 1998, p.).
According to Smith (1998), Bronfenbrenner’s levels of the environment, including micro, exo, macro, and meso, all impact a child’s development. Furthermore, the society in which a family resides influences the family itself. McMillan (1991) highlights that Bronfenbrenner emphasizes the importance of interactions among people who are important to each other as the most crucial factors in learning and development (p. 34).
Thus, when a social worker helps this family, their goal will be to facilitate the children’s healthy grieving process, taking into account their developmental level and the surrounding environment. According to McMillan (1991), Bronfenbrenner’s model emphasizes the individual’s perception of their environment, defining the significance of a familial death within a social context. As a result, each child may interpret and experience this loss differently.
According to Gatenby (1998), preschool children have an egocentric and concrete way of thinking. They understand that people exist even when they cannot see them, can be called back and searched for. They may want to discuss death but perceive it as something reversible or as another form of life. Preschoolers are curious about the physical functions and traits of their bodies, but they do not grasp the idea of permanent destruction. They may ask questions like “How will she get out of the box and up through the ground when she wakes up?” as explained by Staudacher (1987).
The language frequently used reinforces this viewpoint, such as phrases like ‘now they are resting’ or ‘they closed their eyes and didn’t wake up’. Such language can instill fear in the child, creating a fear of falling asleep. Social work practice from a strengths perspective is a valuable tool when adopting an ecological perspective, as it values families and promotes resilience. According to Early and GlenMaye (2000, p 2), “in the strengths perspective, the environment is significant as both a resource and a focal point for intervention.”
According to Early and GlenMaye (2000, p. 2), the family plays the primary role in the lives of preschool children. They argue that families can gain strength from other systems they are connected to, such as the extended family and neighborhood. From an empowerment perspective, this means that families are already competent or have the potential to become competent. The strengths approach sees clients in terms of their abilities and assumes they possess knowledge about their own situations. It also acknowledges the resilience of human beings, which can be nurtured through strengths-based practices. These practices aim to leverage factors like supportive family environments and external influences that promote positive values and reinforce children’s coping efforts (Early and GlenMaye, 2000).
In line with the strengths perspective, collaboration and partnership between the client family and social worker are crucial in practice. The family should start by discussing their grief, desired goals, and ideas on how to achieve them.
According to Early and GlenMaye (2000), if a family is distressed and unsure of how to improve their lives, they may still have a vision of what they would like their life to be. By taking a strengths perspective, social workers can help the family identify this vision and create opportunities for it to become a reality. To do this, social workers can ask the family what kind of life they want and focus on these aspirations. This approach builds resilience by fostering hope for the future and a sense of pride in overcoming challenges. By emphasizing the positive aspects of their current situation (the times they feel happier), the social worker helps the family envision a better future.
According to Early and GlenMaye (2000, p.6), anything that the family does to assist the situation is considered a strength. To develop resilience, it is crucial to establish a connection with someone who genuinely cares about and provides unwavering support for the child experiencing distress, such as a grandparent (Saleebey, 2001, p.72). The entire family can engage in coping strategies, such as creating a Memory book, which serves the purpose of feeling close to the deceased child once more.
The family finds comfort in talking about the deceased child, as it brings back memories and provides solace when they are feeling sad, as noted by Zagdanski (1993, p. 9). Early and GlenMaye (2000) also explain that the social worker applies the principles of the strengths approach by expecting active family involvement and success. This fosters an atmosphere of optimism, hope, and potential (p. [page number]).
By working from a strengths perspective, the family is empowered to take charge of their lives and attribute positive changes to their own actions, despite facing an uncontrollable event. This empowers the family and reminds them of the goals they have accomplished and the improved situation they are in. As a result, they are able to successfully disengage from professional assistance while continuing to move forward.
Avoiding victim status leads to resilient, confident children who are well-adjusted to normal life events. These days, grieving is often overlooked and considered a private matter. This essay explores how the ecological and strengths perspectives can help bereaved families. The ecological perspective highlights the interactions between individuals and their environments, while also examining the effects of grief on the family.
The text explains the concept of empowerment and client’s ability to recognize options through a strengths approach. It argues that the family environment has unique characteristics and that applying the ecological perspective with a strengths approach helps social workers collaborate effectively. The text introduces the importance of social workers working with individuals, acknowledging individual grieving in the context of the family dynamic and the compatibility between individuals and their environment. It also applies the strengths perspective, which emphasizes a client’s strengths and resilience.
In working with a family and their grief, it is important to recognize the significance of both the ecological and strengths perspective as they contribute to forming a collaborative partnership.
