Mourning

Mourning is the process by which people express and cope with a loss, typically the death of someone close. It encompasses a range of emotional responses, behaviors, and social practices shaped by personal experience, culture, religion, and circumstance. Mourning can begin at bereavement and unfold over time.

Mourning vs grief: Grief refers to the internal emotional experience of loss, while mourning denotes outward expressions and social practices enacted in response to that loss. The two concepts are related but distinct; individuals may grieve privately while participating in communal mourning rituals or, conversely, may express mourning more publicly than their internal feelings suggest.

Rituals and practices vary widely. Common elements include funerals or memorial services, wakes, and periods of withdrawal or remembrance. Cultural and religious traditions may prescribe attire, such as dark clothing, or designate specific mourning periods with prescribed behaviors or restrictions. Experiences of mourning are personal and can align with or diverge from family or community norms. Some cultures recognize extended mourning lasting months or years; others emphasize shorter, public rites.

Psychological and social dimensions: Mourning can involve sadness, longing, anger, guilt, or confusion, and may affect daily functioning. Social support from family, friends, or professionals can aid adjustment. Prolonged, severe distress after a loss may be described as complicated grief or persistent bereavement, though definitions and terminology vary across contexts.

Etymology: The word mourning derives from Old English murnian, meaning to lament or bewail; over time it came to refer to the social expressions surrounding loss.