Mazandaran Association of Emergency Medicine Humanistic Studies and Social Researches 3092-6467 2 1 2026 01 05 Cultural Scripts for Sorrow: A Review of Cross-Cultural Variations in Coping Mechanisms for Grief and Loss 238286 10.22034/hssr.2026.238286 EN Farshad Mohagheghpour Bachelor of Science in Career Coaching, University of Applied Sciences, Tehran, Iran 0009-0005-9321-5186 Dariush Mohammad Gholi Songhori Department of Psychology, Personality Orientation, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran Journal Article <strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; color: #0f1115; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Background:</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; color: #0f1115; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Grief is a psychobiological universal, yet its expression and management are culturally prescribed. The dominance of Western, individualistic grief models in theory and clinical practice risks pathologizing normative cross-cultural variations in bereavement.<br><strong>Objective:</strong> To systematically review and synthesize contemporary empirical and theoretical literature on the influence of culture on coping mechanisms for grief and loss.<br><strong>Methods:</strong> A narrative review methodology was employed. Electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, AnthroSource) were searched for peer-reviewed articles and key texts published between 2000-2024. Search terms included combinations of "grief," "mourning," "culture," "coping," "ritual," and "bereavement." Included works explicitly addressed cultural dimensions, comparative frameworks, or non-Western models of grief.<br><strong>Results:</strong> Analysis of the literature reveals that culture shapes grief through primary dimensions: individualism-collectivism, spiritual/religious worldviews, and communication norms. Key coping mechanisms are culturally structured through: (1) Ritualized practices (funerary rites, mourning periods), which provide somatic and social scripts for behavior; (2) Social support systems with formalized communal roles; (3) Varied expressions of emotionality, from high-expressivity to restrained, somatized presentations; and (4) The normative status of "continuing bonds" with the deceased, which is therapeutic in many cultural contexts.<br><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Grief coping is not acultural but is fundamentally organized by cultural narratives, values, and social structures. Effective bereavement support requires cultural humility—moving beyond a checklist approach to engage with the bereaved individual’s specific cultural, familial, and spiritual framework. Culturally adaptive models of grief therapy are an urgent need in pluralistic societies.</span> https://www.hssres.com/article_238286_e6a148845336b28c9a77b8cd12c42463.pdf