Which term describes grief that is not recognized or sanctioned by society?

• A. Masked grief
• B. Disenfranchised grief
• C. Delayed grief
• D. Chronic grief

Answer: (B)

Disenfranchised grief describes mourning that society does not recognize, validate, or allow to be publicly expressed. When a loss isn’t accepted or supported by social norms—such as grieving a miscarriage, the death of an ex-partner, the loss of a pet, or a death stigmatized by others—the mourner may feel they’re not supposed to show sadness or seek support. This lack of social acknowledgment can make the grieving process feel孤独 or invisible, even though the grief is real.

This fits the question because the defining feature is the absence of social sanction or recognition for the grief. By contrast, masked grief is about hiding emotions, not about social approval of the loss; delayed grief concerns the timing of the reaction, and chronic grief refers to the duration or persistence of grief, not its social sanction.