COPING WITH BEREAVEMENT FROM DEATH AND DIVORCE

Barely more than an outline in the direction of recovery from grief--whether from loss of a spouse to death or divorce, or loss of a secure family unit in the case of children of divorce. The tone is lofty, and some of the assumptions are downright unsettling: ""Tending to be more realistic than women, men generally have more selfcontrol in bereavement""; women missing the sexual companionship of their late husbands are ""in search of relief from the absence of eros in your life."" Et cetera. Where it's most pithy, it's also most helpful--as in lists of things to do to cope with depression (e.g., improve your appearance, invite someone to celebrate Christmas with you). Other lists, however, are more perfunctory: stresses you're likely to encounter; acting-out behavior you can expect from youngsters after a divorce, particularly if you remarry, etc. ""Loneliness"" and ""fear"" questionnaires hardly get to the root of needs: questions are generally of no more depth than ""Did you feel lonely as a child?"" and ""What things do you fear most?"" One of the lesser entries in two well-covered fields.