Loneliness and continuing bonds with the dead

Bereavement is a significant source of loneliness. An intuitive explanation of this is that following a loved one’s death, a significant relationship and attendant social goods are lost. However, this simple explanation is problematized by a popular psychological account of grief known as the ‘continuing bonds’ framework, which rejects the idea that bereavement necessitates a lost interpersonal relationship, stating that often one’s relationship with the deceased continues in an adapted form. This chapter provides an account of why the bereaved may feel deeply lonely even if they experience continuing bonds. Although these bonds can provide something akin to a meaningful relationship, various important social goods remain out of reach and certain types of continuing bonds can actually worsen certain types of loneliness. In shielding the bereaved from an intimate form of loneliness connected to the dead, continuing bonds can alienate them from the broader social world.