This master’s thesis focuses on the experience of losing a significant close person and on the processes of grief and posttraumatic growth. The theoretical part addresses the concept of loss and its significance in an individual’s life, with particular attention to the loss of a close person, its irreplaceability, and the emotional and psychological responses it evokes. Grief is presented as a complex process that is never fully completed, while the roles of rituals, spirituality, and psychotherapy are also highlighted. Special emphasis is placed on posttraumatic growth, which shows how a traumatic experience can bring about changes in one’s perception of meaning, relationships, and life priorities.
The empirical part is based on a phenomenological approach. The study involved six participants who, at different stages of life, faced the loss of a significant close person. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method. The analysis revealed six core thematic categories: (1) the attitude towards loss and death prior to the experience of losing a close person, (2) society’s attitude towards death and mortality, (3) the description of the experience of losing a close person, (4) the grieving process, (5) changes as a consequence of the loss, and (6) posttraumatic growth.
The findings showed that loss was a pivotal life experience for all participants, associated with shock, sadness, loneliness, and anger, while also prompting meaning-making and the integration of the loss into their life stories. Participants described grief as a fluctuating process that never completely ends but transforms over time. Alongside negative consequences such as premature maturity, loss of security, and behavioral changes, they also highlighted positive transformations, including greater independence, shifts in life priorities, enhanced spirituality, gratitude, and deeper relationships. All participants reported forms of posttraumatic growth, confirming that the loss of a close person represents both a source of pain and an opportunity for growth.
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