The Nature of Grief: The Evolution and Psychology of Reactions to Loss [Library Binding]

John Archer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415178576 | ISBN-13: 978-0415178570 | Publication Date: January 6, 1999

The Nature of Grief is a provocative new study on the evolution of grief. Most literature on the topic regards grief either as a psychiatric disorder or illness to be cured. In contrast to this, John Archer shows that grief is a natural reaction to losses of many sorts, even to the death of a pet, and he proves this by bringing together material from evolutionary psychology, ethology and experimental psychology.
This innovative new work will be required reading for developmental and clinical psychologists and all those in the caring professions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Archer presents as complete an account of the psychology of grief as on is likely to find....here he does an extraordinary job of pulling together material from clinical psychology, psychiatry, evolutionary psychology, ethology, literature, the visual arts, history, and anthropology to produce a comprehensive and immensely satisfying account of the origins and functions of grief....One of the virtues of this book is the author's determination to confront grief in all its contrary complexity and variability....No library should be without this book.
–Choice

Archer presents as complete an account of the psychology of grief as one is likely to find....here he does an extraordinary job of pulling together material from clinical psychology, psychiatry, evolutionary psychology, ethology, literature, the visual arts, history, and anthropology to produce a comprehensive and immensely satisfying account of the origins and functions of grief....makes even the most arcane psychological theories accessible. No library should be without this book.
–Choice --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 336 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (January 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415178576
• ISBN-13: 978-0415178570
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,719,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating, March 16, 2008

By 

Anora McGaha (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nature of Grief: The Evolution and Psychology of Reactions to Loss (Paperback)

One of the questions that I have not yet found answered in books or on the Web is, why is the intense grief response to loss often wrenching sobbing and tears.

Believing that all human behavior has derived from the instinct to survive and reproduce the species, understanding the grief response has been most puzzling to me, especially the visible physical response.

Scientists have theorized that eye-lashes kept dust from the eyes, and tearing could wash dust or sand should it get in the eyes. But why does grief produce tearing, and beyond that breathless, chest and heart wrenching sobbing.

Seeking the answer to this question, I bought this book. While it isn't the readable, anecdotal book that is Ashley Montagu's book, Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin, nonetheless it is a rich source of what scientists have researched and concluded about grief and loss.

The conclusion the book left me with was that grief is indeed related to survival of the species. The younger the person dying, the stronger the grief, except in the case of care-givers to the extent that they are raising young ones, their death is grieved very deeply. We are hardwired to preserve young life and those who give birth to future generations.

While the book gave me this valuable understanding about grief, it did not answer my question about the evolutionary value of the tearing and sobbing. For that answer, I will have to continue my search.