The psychological transitions of life: A reading of grief processing. An analysis of the book by M. Recalcati “The light of dead stars”.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13129/2612-4033/0110-4248Abstract
Background: The text “The light of dead stars” is a piece of writing that gives hope, in phases of life when nostalgia, sadness and even grief can turn into gratitude.
Methods: Massimo Recalcati in his book focuses on the relationship between human life and the traumatic experience of loss, explaining that the trauma of loss is often repeated in human existence, not only with the death of an important person, but also with all other “death” losses that leave a void within the human being.
Results: The book opens a reflection not on the phenomenon of death itself, but on the condition that affects those who remain, forced to confront the passing of their lives and the suffering of the condition of mourning. This essay analyses different meanings linked to the theme of death and the experience of those who undergo it. The author distinguishes the outcome of mourning into two possible fates: chronic melancholy and nostalgia, where he distinguishes “regret” and gratitude.
Conclusions: This book is useful for mental health professionals who find themselves working with patients who have to grieve. It offers theoretical insights and clinical reflections useful in overcoming treatment obstacles and facilitating the outcome therapeutic.
References
Arendt, H. (2015). Vita activa: La condizione umana, trad. it. di S. Finzi, Bompiani, Mi-lano.
Carmassi, C., Conversano, C., Pinori, M., Bertelloni, C. A., Dalle Luche, R., Gesi, C., & Dell’Osso, L. (2016). Il lutto complicato nell’era del DSM-5. Rivista di Psichiatria, 51(6), 231-237.
Engel, G. L. (1961). Is grief a disease? A challenge for medical research. Psychosomatic medicine, 23(1), 18-22.
Kubler-Ross E.(1976), La morte e il morire, Cittadella , Assisi.
Lazarus, R. S. (1969). Patterns of adjustment and human effectiveness.
Pop-Jordanova, N. (2021). Grief: Aetiology, symptoms and management. prilozi, 42(2), 9-18.
Psicologia e salute: teorie e ambiti di intervento. (2022). Italia: Carocci.
Recalcati, M. (2022). La luce delle stelle morte: Saggio su lutto e nostalgia. Italia: Feltrinelli Editore.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Articles and conference papers published in Journal of Clinical and Development Psychology are distributed under the terms and conditions of a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Correspondingly, authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
