Utilizing symbolic interactionism to assist people with mental retardation during the grieving process
people with mental retardation have begun to lead lives similar to other citizens New opportunities such as employment within the community independent habitation have allowed this population to begin experiencing the world in much the same way as their community or society as a whole However one area has largely been overlooked by academics and practitioners alike the right to grieve and the similarities and differences that exist for people with mental retardation during this process this is a theoretical article that utilizes a symbolic interactionist perspective to examine the grieving process and how it applies to people with mental retardation it is suggested here that people with mental retardation have fewer selves or identities from which to draw therefore when losing someone to death a person with mental retardation experiences the loss more so as agreater proportion of the individual is lost with the death Suggestions for teachers counselors and parents for assisting people with mental retardation in the grieving process are provided
symbolic interactionism has shown flexibility in addressing a variety of social phenomena within diverse population and in an equally variant number of contexts.
while symbolic interactionism has been criticized in certain areas specifically for being too processional in the realm of structure or for being too atheoretical when it comes to issues of power no one doubts thecotributions to be found in areas such as deviance physical appearance race and ethnicity emotion work gender roles illness communication and of course the self
However Symbolic interactionists have centered little to no attention on the study of grief with few concentrating their focus on the issue of perception during the grieving process
there has been little research done within the field of sociology on people with mental retardation much less on the contributions symbolic interaction might lend to the discussion
studying the ways in which persons with mental retardation experience the world provides a fertile ground for understanding the foundations of experience perception and communication.สื่อสารthus examining how people with mental retardation experience the grieving process can lend fuller comprehension of human perception as a whole
what proceeds is a theoretical article using symbolic interaction to better understand the
grieving process of people with mental retardation and to provide guidance in helping these individuals as they deal with and adjust to loss when one loses a person he or she is strongly attached to it is a shock to the system. with grief comes a sense of emptiness a void a feeling of displacement in symbolic interactionist terms the death of someone close of brings a loss of a self or identity in western civilization particularly within the united states people are instructed to minimize negative emotions in the present by concentrating on the future and attempt to curb grief from overtaking the routine responsibilities of day to day life
people generally have a sufficient number of selves or identities that can be acted out and life therefore continues as normal hence people are expected to focus on the future and the myriad of opportunities it holds this is operating under the assumption however that all individuals are functionally similar
In truth not all people have a readily available and abundant collection of selves or identities , nor do all individuals will experience the grieving process in the same way. Some individuals deal with loss by exhibiting behaviors which differ greatly from societal expectations, so much so that these individuals are often not recognized as grieving at all. An example of just such a population can be found in people with mental retardation.
As people with mental retardation are increasingly living longer, more interaction lives, teachers, counselors and parent, and must address the manner in which this population matures, grows, and experiences a multitude of new social phenomena.