The language of tears

Tears are pertinently present in care and assistance. The language of tears contains a range of explorations from different disciplines. This book does not only want to make you think; it also wants to be a support in your daily practice as a care provider.

Why do we cry in very different situations? Rik Pinxten gives an answer from an anthropological perspective.

What do we mean by the word 'tear'? Jean Paul Van Bendegem describes three families of tears because according to him there is no conclusive definition. Hugo Stuer proposes the stimulus-response model and the biopsychosocial model to organize tears.

Ad Vingerhoets wonders what has caused people to produce tears in certain emotional situations.

Tears can throw us off balance. We no longer know how to behave, and that is even more the case when you are confronted with grief as a professional. Peter Walleghem discusses the fundamental ambiguity of the professional attitude towards grief.

Erik De Belie, Mieke Leroy, Stijn Vandevelde and Geert Van Hove give us an image of the relationship between care provider and client.

The anonymous employees of Tele-Onthaal confront us with the telephone and virtual tears they have to deal with every day.