grief counseling

the provision of advice, information, and psychological support to help individuals whose ability to function has been impaired by someone’s death, particularly that of a loved one or friend. It includes counseling for the grieving process and practical advice concerning arrangements for the funeral and burial of the loved one. Grief counseling is sometimes offered by staff in specialized agencies (e.g., hospices), or it may be carried out in the context of other counseling. See also bereavement therapy.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

valence–instrumentality–expectancy theory

a theory of work motivation holding that the level of effort exerted by employees will depend on a combination of three variables: (a) the expectancy of employees that effort will lead to success in the job, (b) the belief of employees that success will lead to particular outcomes (see instrumentality theory), and (c) the value of these outcomes (see valence). A numerical value can be obtained for variable (a) using the subjective probability estimates of employees, for variable (b) by measuring the correlation of performance to rewards, and for variable (c) by asking employees to rate the desirability of the rewards. The motivational force, or the amount of effort employees will exert, can then be calculated. See also path–goal theory of leadership; Porter–Lawler model of motivation. [proposed in 1964 by Canadian organizational psychologist Victor H. Vroom (1932– )]