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Cited by 165Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthDeath, Funerary Practices, and MourningReligion, Spirituality, and Psychology

Meaning Reconstruction in the Wake of Loss: Evolution of a Research Program

Open access
Neimeyer, Robert A.·2016·Behaviour Change
DOI 10.1017/bec.2016.4
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Abstract

As theories of bereavement have evolved, so too have evidence-based interventions to mitigate complications in post-loss adaptation. This article reviews one line of programmatic research grounded in a conceptualisation of grieving as an attempt to reaffirm or reconstruct a world of meaning challenged by loss. Anchored in therapeutic encounters with the bereaved, a meaning reconstruction approach to loss has grown over the past 15 years to generate an increasingly substantial research base, as well as to develop and refine a wide array of contributions to psychological assessment and therapy. By summarising the major models, measures and methods resulting from this collaborative work, it offers an introduction to meaning reconstruction for those unfamiliar with it, noting its contributions to date, its areas of future development, and its relevance for clinical practice.

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  • Recalcitrant experiences may confound expectations and provoke processes of sense-making aimed at resolving the tensions.

    “Recalcitrant experiences may confound expectations and provoke processes of sense-making aimed at resolving the tensions”

    From Hidden Risks: Artificial Intelligence and Hermeneutic Harm (2025) · cites this paper as Neimeyer, 2016

    The Abstract (page unavailable) describes grieving as an attempt to reconstruct a world of meaning challenged by loss, and Phase I: Models says survivors of untimely or tragic loss struggle to make sense of what happened. This supports the proposed sense-making response, but the paper addresses bereavement specifically, not recalcitrant experiences in general. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 33

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Cited by

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Authors
Neimeyer, R. A.
Affiliations
University of Memphis (US)
Corresponding author
Neimeyer, Robert A.
ORCID
Neimeyer, Robert A.
Venue
Behaviour Change
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2016-04-07
Volume
33
Issue
2
Pages
65-79
ISSN
  • 0813-4839 (ISSN-L)
  • 2049-7768
DOI
10.1017/bec.2016.4
OpenAlex
W2314868874
Cited by
165
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 4
FWCI
21.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
Behaviour Change (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
Keywords
meaning reconstruction, bereavement, grief, loss, meaning in life, bereavement interventions, grief therapy

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