Experiencing Death and Loss Through School Shootings

Cornerstone Ballroom

The purpose of this work was to investigate experiencing death and loss through school shootings from a developmental time period and theory-based perspective. This topic was chosen based on recent media coverage and controversy surrounding school shootings. This research looks at school shootings from the perspective of the Structural Functionalism Theory and applies the theory to recent situations of school shootings around the United States. From this theory, the developmental timing of loss following a school shooting was taken into account by observing the stages of development in which loss may have occurred and how each child may react to a school shooting based on their development. This research concluded that school shootings can extremely disruptive to the structure and the functioning of individuals in many roles within the school and community.