The Widowers' Bereavement Process and Death Rituals: Hong Kong Experiences

Abstract

This study explores the function of death rituals in the widowers' bereavement process. Four widowers holding different beliefs were interviewed. It was found that the respondents benefited from the performance of death rituals and the participants' support. They also had self-evolved postfuneral rituals for creating a continuing bond with their deceased wives, and this is a crucial step toward the goal of accommodation in bereavement for the respondents. The authors postulate that to help the widowers, it is necessary for bereavement counselors to be familiar with the messages contained in the death rituals of different religions. The humanist funeral also needs to be developed for nonreligious communities. Furthermore, bereavement counselors need to develop their empathy toward clients who come from non-Christian communities (e.g., Chinese communities) because negative attitudes toward death may be deeply rooted in their cultures.