Emotions are a relevant social science research topic as they are an integral part of everyday lives of individuals; they are interlinked with interpersonal relationships and affect our health and well-being. In my master's thesis I focused on the emotion of grief with the aim of finding out whether there are gender differences in the experience of grief, the ways of managing emotions, especially grief, and in seeking social or emotional support when coping with grief. By analyzing the secondary sources and using the method of interviewing, I came to the conclusion that no gender differences exist in the intensity of the emotion of grief, the expression of grief, however, is different in males and females as women tend to express grief more intensely than men. The ways of managing emotions or grief are different between the genders. Women are more focused on their emotions while men try to suppress or avoid them. In managing grief, women are more loss-oriented whereas men are more restoration-oriented. Despite the fact that women are more likely to seek the help of professionals, it can be concluded that when coping with grief both men and women need emotional or social support, for example support from friends. Grief is accepted as a normal emotion that does not need to be treated. The normative time of grieving varies from individual to individual. During the grieving period we are more susceptible to health problems, so it is important for us to learn how to manage our emotions.
|
