"Mourning and Melancholia"

"Mourning and Melancholia" is a psychological essay by Freud exploring how individuals cope with loss. Mourning is a natural process where a person gradually accepts the absence of someone they loved, allowing them to detach emotionally and move forward. Melancholia, on the other hand, is a deeper, more complicated state resembling depression, where the person fixates on their loss, leading to feelings of worthlessness and self-critical thoughts. Freud suggests that mourning involves working through pain, while melancholia can trap someone in unresolved grief, impacting their self-esteem and mental health.