Stilled but Unquiet Voices: The Loss of a Parent

ABSTRACT

Persons who have lost parents provided narratives about their loss experiences. The narratives were analyzed for main themes, including rich imagery about the lost loved one and the events surrounding the death; long-lasting, sometimes unresolved emotions; and attempts to cope with the loss, memorialize the loss, and give back to others based on the loss. These narratives were interpreted as examples of account-making about the important events of our lives.

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Notes on contributors

John H. Harvey

John H. Harvey is a professor of psychology at the University of Iowa. He is the author or editor of over 30 books and 150 articles and/or chapters, and the creator and founding editor of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology and the Journal of Loss and Trauma.

Alexis Z. Chavis

Alexis Z. Chavis earned her MA from New York University. She currently is a PhD student in counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her reserch focuses on social justice issues and the psychology of loss and trauma.