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To the Editor: Investigators of bereavement have long noted the paucity of empirical support for the widely held assumption that grief reactions progress through a series of specific stages.^1-2 Dr Maciejewski and colleagues³ claim to have identified "normal stages of grief." However, we believe that even with their study there is no solid empirical evidence for the stage theory.

The data actually contradict the stage theory. Acceptance of the death is purported to be the final stage of grieving. However, in their study, acceptance was the most frequently endorsed item at every measurement point. Even in the earliest months of bereavement, the mean frequency of acceptance experienced by participants was between daily and several times a day, significantly more than any other grief item. These data are consistent with other evidence associating acceptance of death with widespread resilience to loss.⁴

Moreover, there are significant methodological limitations in this study. Genuine . . . [Full Text of this Article]

George A. Bonanno, PhD
gab38@columbia.edu
Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology
Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, NY

Kathrin Boerner, PhD
Lighthouse International
New York, NY

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