Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2018

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Communication Studies and Theatre

First Advisor

Joshua Westwick

Abstract

Grief is a natural reaction to loss that can include behaviors and thoughts that are emotional, physical, and spiritual (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015). With the rise of social media, grief is now performed in a different and more public manner. The current literature has established the connection between how one grieves and their attachment dimension of either attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance (Bowlby, 1980; Schenck, Eberle, & Rings, 2016; Waskowic & Chartier, 2003; Worden, 1983). Attachment dimensions have also been correlated with social media usage, primarily the use of Facebook (Hart, Nalling, Bizer, & Collins, 2015; Lin, 2015). Findings from a series of Pearson correlations (n = 257) indicate a relationship between attachment anxiety and the likelihood to post a status update following the death of a friend and posting a status update following the death of a celebrity. Additionally, results indicate a relationship between attachment anxiety and the likelihood to post on the deceased’s wall following the death of a community member. In the case of attachment avoidance, a relationship is found with posting a status update following the death of a family member and an acquaintance. A series of Kruskal-Wallis tests found that those with preoccupied attachment are more likely than those with secure attachment to post on a deceased friend’s wall, post on a deceased community member’s wall, direct message deceased family members, and direct message a deceased friend.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Attachment behavior.
Grief -- Social aspects.
Death -- Social aspects.
Bereavement -- Psychological aspects.
Facebook (Electronic resource)
Online social networks.

Description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-83)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

105

Publisher

South Dakota State University

Download

Share

COinS
 

Rights Statement

In Copyright