Psychologists: Closure Can Aid Healing but Is Not Always Attainable

When people face painful events—being ghosted, losing a job or a parent—they often seek what is called "closure," and experts say closure may help some people heal. Psychologists describe closure as the feeling of having finished something or come to a conclusion; Arie W. Kruglanski of the University of Maryland said it is "a psychological mechanism" that signals you have enough information to decide.

His work on the "need for cognitive closure" finds that people with higher need make quick decisions, value order and dislike ambiguity, while those with lower need tolerate uncertainty better but may struggle to decide. Research suggests closure can be beneficial. Dan P. McAdams of Northwestern says people who are flourishing often tell redemptive stories about past harms, a form of closure that helps them move on.

But critics warn the idea can be harmful: Nancy Berns, who wrote about grief, said the promise that pain will simply become "a memory" offered little comfort after her child's stillbirth and argued that joy and grief can remain intertwined. Closure is sometimes literal—for example, a clear medical result can end uncertainty—but life often presents ambiguous loss, such as dementia or a missing body, that complicates mourning.

Key Topics

Health, Closure, Cognitive Closure, Arie Kruglanski, Dan Mcadams, Nancy Berns