Grief

Minimal Grief

Expressions activating this band show little clear grief content, with only faint or indirect references to upsetting events, disruption, or emotionally charged circumstances. The experience appears diffuse, backgrounded, or not yet organized as mourning.

Mild Grief

Expressions activating this band show emerging grief through sadness, self-blame, concern about loss, reduced engagement in usual activities, and preoccupation with death or separation. The loss is felt as troubling and personally meaningful, but the mourning remains only partly elaborated.

Moderate Grief

Expressions activating this band show clearly recognized grief marked by missing what is gone, sadness when reflecting on endings, loss of control, hopelessness, and active efforts to accept reality. The loss is experienced as a significant emotional disruption that is hard to integrate into ongoing life.

High Grief

Expressions activating this band show sustained grief centered on irreversible change, broken expectations, anger and sadness about diminished abilities or altered relationships, and painful awareness of what will not return. The loss is experienced as leaving a lasting emotional void in both the loved one and one's own future.

Severe Grief

Expressions activating this band show intense mourning with painful remembering, persistent sorrow over lost relationships or former ways of life, and deep difficulty accepting that life or a loved one is no longer the same. The loss is experienced as identity-altering, with a sense that a former life has ended.

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