{"id":4271,"date":"2019-01-16T05:13:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T13:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/?p=4271"},"modified":"2019-01-09T08:43:36","modified_gmt":"2019-01-09T16:43:36","slug":"how-and-why-grief-looks-different-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/how-and-why-grief-looks-different-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"How (and Why) Grief Looks Different for Men"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"attachment_4274\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4274\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4274\" src=\"https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920-350x228.jpg\" alt=\"How (and Why) Grief Looks Different for Men\" width=\"350\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920-350x228.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920-768x501.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920-1024x668.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" title=\"How (and Why) Grief Looks Different for Men\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4274\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">How (and Why) Grief Looks Different for Men<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every single person&mdash;male or female&mdash;grieves in her or his own unique way. Factors such as religious upbringing, cultural perspective, personal beliefs and relationships, the cause of death, and even the time of year when death occurred can all affect the way someone handles loss in their life. This being said, however, there are some universal human experiences that make grief look similar across the board&hellip;until you start comparing men and women. <\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although any generalization of grief is just that, a generalization, being aware of some of the gender-specific differences in the ways people grieve can help you and your loved ones get through a difficult time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After experiencing a loss, men are more likely to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grieve in isolation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Withdraw from the world and others<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lose themselves in distractions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start a new relationship<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop a dependency on alcohol and\/or drugs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engage in risk-taking behaviors<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid any mentions or memories of the deceased<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minimize their feelings<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experience anger and\/or aggression<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experience physical rather than emotional symptoms of grief<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fail to consider self-care<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Refuse to ask for help or join support groups<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not reach out to social networks, friends, and family<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try to &ldquo;overcome&rdquo; their loss<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commit suicide<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i>Why Men Grieve This Way<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although research on the reasons behind the gender differences regarding grief is always being updated and refined, most experts agree on a few things. First, that socialization and culture play a big role. In our society, boys and men are often raised to believe that they must be strong and stoical in times of struggle or in the face of pain. This translates directly to the loss of a loved one, in which they may not have the experience or resources or support to know how to open up. This internalization of loss leads to the isolation, the action-oriented coping skills, and the physical symptoms of male grief. For example, a man who throws himself into work or remarries soon after the death of a wife is often <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coping <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with his loss rather than running away from it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biology may also play a role. Male hormones and nervous system development could impact the way stress acts as a trigger, meaning that the physical symptoms and emotional withdrawal are based in the body rather than the mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter how the man in your life is grieving, it is important to be supportive in a way that helps <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">him<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Talk-based therapy, which helps many people in similar situations, might not be the answer. Instead, ask him how you can help. Read up on the subject of male grief. And, most importantly, avoid being judgemental or creating expectations based on how you would react in a similar situation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every single person&mdash;male or female&mdash;grieves in her or his own unique way. Factors such as religious upbringing, cultural perspective, personal beliefs and relationships, the cause of death, and even the time of year when death occurred can all affect the way someone handles loss in their life. This being said, however, there are some universal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[2575],"tags":[4062,4065,4067,4063,4060,4064,4038,2931,4058,4061,4059,4066],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.imortuary.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/people-2562694_1920.jpg","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How (and Why) Grief Looks Different for Men<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every single person\u2014male or female\u2014grieves in her or his own unique way. 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