Bridging inner and outer worlds: A psychodynamic approach to meaningful mourning

In this chapter, I suggest to combine so-called constructional models of mourning, with object relational theory (Ogden 2000, 2005; Melzer 2008) to develop a more adequate theoretical framework and model to work with in counselling. The first perspective emphasizes an active construction of reality; the second adds the impact of important attachment relationships during the construction of these representations of reality. My main argument is that intra-psychic models to understand mourning or effectively support mourning people do not suffice. Not only may individuals with different temperaments respond very differently to “similar” losses, but depending on one’s specific personal situation and on the cultural context in which one is embedded the impact of particular kinds of loss can vary greatly.