Pragmatism and Grieving

Incorporating Mead and Dewey to Understand the Grieving of People With Mental Retardation

Bibliographic Data

ID11672463
AuthorsDavid G Loconto (Jacksonville State University, corresponding author), Paige R Arrington (Jacksonville State University)
Year2007
Volume27
Issue5
Pages537-553
Publication date2007-07-28
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Spectrum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0273-2173 • E-ISSN: 1521-0707
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02732170701438964
OpenAlexW2042667171
LanguageEN
References cited31

Although the philosophy of pragmatism influenced American sociology, specifically that of symbolic interactionism, its use as a tool for explanation of everyday life has been underutilized throughout sociology. In this article, pragmatism, specifically the ideas of George Herbert Mead and John Dewey provide a framework for the understanding of grieving, specifically as it relates to people with mental retardation. Both Mead and Dewey's use and inclusion of physics into their philosophies proved paramount in their assertions regarding Cartesian or ontological dualism. They then demonstrated through the inclusion of quantum physics how to avoid positivism, thereby creating the necessary link of science with human perception and human action. Mead's use of the Theory of Relativity, as well as Sociality; and Dewey's incorporation of the Uncertainty Principle, and addressing the sum of possibilities, provides a context where the grieving process of people with mental retardation will be much more pronounced. People with mental retardation, by definition, through their neural networks have an inability to perceive existence in a manner that is functionally the same as the rest of the population. Their abilities influence how people with mental retardation relate to themselves or environment, thereby creating either fewer realities or systems from which to interact, or creating ones that are functionally dissimilar from the typical population, hence the label “mental retardation;” therefore, the loss of someone or something creates a greater hole or emptiness for people with mental retardation than the rest of society

Action (physics · Context (archaeology · Epistemology · Interactionism · Population · Positivism · Pragmatism · Social science · Sociology · Symbolic interactionism · Critical Realism in Sociology · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Power and Status Dynamics · Social Psychology

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