The myth of closure

THE MYTH OF CLOSURE: Following the death of a loved one or the realization of some other sad event, one word, in particular, seems to be thrown around more flippantly than others, almost without consideration of what it might actually mean – closure. But a new book, by sociologist Nancy Burns, seeks to convince you not only that the popular concept does not exist, but that seeking it may be causing us harm. "We grieve for a reason. We grieve because we miss the person who died, or because of whatever loss we’re experiencing. Our grief expresses how we’re feeling and allows us to acknowledge that loss. So asking or expecting someone to try and end that quickly is really misunderstanding the importance of those emotions."

Although I can't conclude with certainty that the concept of closure simply 'doesn't exist', I can attest to personally-held feelings of contempt for the term. I ultimately consider the level of attention bestowed upon it to underscore the entirely wrong part of the grieving process; the whole point of coming to terms with the death of a loved one is not actually in coming to terms with it. 'Closure', as a word, just doesn't seem to cut it.