Freud is considered an early expert on the subject of grief.

Question

Freud is considered an early expert on the subject of grief. In his writings, one of the primary tasks faced by the bereaved individual was reclaiming the energy that had been invested in the loved one. Later theorists added to our understanding of grief by reflecting on the role of socialization and the relationship with the deceased in the experience of grief. Bowlby identified four phases through which the grieving person passes: numbing, yearning and searching, disorganization and despair, and reorganization. Still others have suggested that responses to grief are predictable, regardless of the individual’s personality characteristics and personal coping skills. A recent theory also suggests that grief is not only psychological but also biological, and represents the individual’s movement toward reintegration and balance.

One concern frequently expressed by critics of the stage models of grief is general misunderstanding about how the stages are experienced. The average person and even many mental health practitioners tend to see the stages of grief as linear and as descriptions of how grief should be experienced. This can make grieving individuals feel as if they must ‘progress’ through the stages in a timely manner and that something is wrong if they do not do so. The authors of the various stage models did not make this assumption, however. Instead, they acknowledged that the way grief is expressed, the timing and sequence of stages, the duration for which grief lasts, and the coping responses used were varied. Another criticism is that these models assume that the outcome of the grief process will be a return to a more ‘normal’ psychological state. Some experts, on the contrary, suggest that a person does not ever return to the state of mind prior to the loss, and long-term grief may be normal for some people. This aspect needs further examination of theories before the merit of this criticism can be objectively judged.

Source: Hidden Victims: The Effects of the Death Penalty on Families of the Accused – Susan F. Sharp    
 1 
 1. What is the author’s attitude on the theories suggesting stage models of grief?

A. The author considers these theories plausible.
B. The author finds the stages to be predictable.
C. The author questions the chronological nature of the theories.
D. The author is convinced that a final state of normalcy exists.
E. The author finds similarity among the various stage models.

2 
 2. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A. The latest theories of grief find their base in the work of Freud.
B. The critics of stage models have incorrectly made certain assumptions about the stage model theories.
C. The ‘coming to normalcy’ idea of stage model theories is incorrectly interpreted by the critics of these theories.
D. The stages of grief are linear and time-bound.
E. Socialization can help in refocusing energy invested in the relationship with the deceased.

3 
 3. Which of the following can be inferred about the author’s attitude towards the theories suggesting stage models of grief?

A. The author considers these theories plausible. 
B. The author finds the stages to be predictable. 
C. The author questions the chronological nature of recovery. 
D. The author is convinced that a final state of normalcy exists. 
E. The author finds differences among the various stage models.

4 
 4. Which of the following best describes the function of the second paragraph?

A. To extend a critique of the work by various grief theorists 
B. To extend support to the criticism of stage models of grief 
C. To dismiss the criticism of stage models of grief as unfounded 
D. To conclude that the stage models of grief are not reliable in their current state
E. To analyze different criticisms of stage models of grief

dvishal387 · Answer

What is the author’s attitude on the theories suggesting stage models of grief?

A. The author considers these theories plausible- Nowhere the author disagrees with the theories discussed. So, this is the correct choice.
B. The author finds the stages to be predictable- The passage does not give any such indications.
C. The author questions the chronological nature of the theories- The author mentions the chronological nature of
 the theories but does not question it.
D. The author is convinced that a final state of normalcy exists.-The author discusses state of normalcy withe reference to certain theories but
does not show his conviction for any theory.
E. The author finds similarity among the various stage models-The passage does not give any such indications

Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A. The latest theories of grief find their base in the work of Freud.- The first line of suggests a general belief but this author would agree
 to it cannot be concluded. 
B. The critics of stage models have incorrectly made certain assumptions about the stage model theories.- In the second para it is mentioned -"Another 
criticism is that these models assume that the outcome of the grief process will be a return to a more ‘normal’ psychological state..." which shows
that the author would agree that The critics of stage models have incorrectly made certain assumptions about the stage model theories.
C. The ‘coming to normalcy’ idea of stage model theories is incorrectly interpreted by the critics of these theories.- This comes close but
when the author says -"Some experts, on the contrary, suggest that a person does not ever return to the state of mind prior to the loss, 
and long-term grief may be normal for some people." makes us believe that the author will not agree with the point in option C.
D. The stages of grief are linear and time-bound.- It cannot be inferred that the author would agree to it.
E. Socialization can help in refocusing energy invested in the relationship with the deceased.- This can be concluded from 1st para but
it cannot be inferred that the author would agree to it.

bM22 · Answer

2. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A. The latest theories of grief find their base in the work of Freud.
 B. The critics of stage models have incorrectly made certain assumptions about the stage model theories.
 C. The ‘coming to normalcy’ idea of stage model theories is incorrectly interpreted by the critics of these theories.
D. The stages of grief are linear and time-bound.
E. Socialization can help in refocusing energy invested in the relationship with the deceased.

Explanation: There are 2 incorrect assumptions made by the critics here:

1.  The stages of grief is linear and there is fixed order in which the grief is experienced. 
Consider the lines: 
"One concern frequently  expressed by critics  of the stage models of grief is  general misunderstanding about how  the stages are experienced. The average person and even many mental health practitioners tend to see the stages of grief as linear and as descriptions of how grief should be experienced. This can make grieving individuals feel as if they must ‘progress’ through the stages in a timely manner and that something is wrong if they do not do so.  The authors of the various stage models did not make this assumption, however."

The lines mean that the critics along with an average person and many health practitioners see the stage models of grief as linear and believe that there is an pre-defined order(explained before these lines) in which a person progress through the stages of grief. 
Now the passage mentions that the authors : the people who actually formed this stages of grief theory, do make this assumption. Instead, according to them the way grief is expressed, the timing and sequence of stages, the duration for which grief lasts, and the coping responses used are varied.

2.  Another criticism is that these models assume that the outcome of the grief process will be a return to a more ‘normal’ psychological state.This aspect needs further examination of theories before the merit of this criticism can be objectively judged. 
This is again countered by the experts person does not ever return to the state of mind prior to the loss, and long-term grief may be normal for some people.

In this end author disregards the criticisms by saying that the theories need to be further examined.

Based on above inferences, we can say that B is the only correct answer.
A is incorrect, as we cannot infer if author would agree with it or not.
D is incorrect, as per assumption 1, we now know that the assumption is wrong.

sssanskaar · Answer

Aaahhh bm2201 , Thanks for the explanation. Due to the language of the sentence framed, I understood that the Critics are expressing the concerns, and hence, I thought of option B as the exact opposite. One concern frequently expressed by critics of the stage models of grief is general misunderstanding about how the stages.. concern is being expressed by critics that . I understand what you are trying to say but I am still not 100% convinced about the language of this sentence.

bM22 · Answer

Hi  sssanskaar ,

The sentence actually is:
 
So this sentence is not saying : one concern frequently expressed by critics of the stage models of grief is  that ......
The sentence is actually from the author's point of view, where he says that "the concern frequently expressed by critics of the stage models of grief is general misunderstanding........", meaning: the concern that critics are expressing is a misunderstood one.

Hope Its Clear Now. 
Thanks.

jain67 · Answer

Hi experts
 DmitryFarber   KarishmaB   MartyTargetTestPrep 
1. Please help with Q1- Although I have got it correct by elimination method I am not convinced with explanation.
2. Please help with Q2 as well- How to eliminate option C?

Thanks

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Since #1 has been discussed above, it would help if you let us know which part you're having trouble with.

#2 C is quick: The author says in the last sentence that we don't yet have a definitive answer about whether people really can return to normalcy after grief. So they're not saying that criticism of this idea is wrong. They're acknowledging that the critics may actually be right, but more research is needed.

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot: 

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

 This post was generated automatically.

Freud is considered an early expert on the subject of grief.

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Freud is considered an early expert on the subject of grief.

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards