Which term describes an adjustment process involving grief over time?

The term that describes an adjustment process involving grief over time is mourning. Mourning refers to the outward expression and the social or cultural practices that accompany the process of grieving. It's the way individuals and societies recognize and deal with loss, allowing for a period where emotions such as sadness, anger, and confusion can be processed in a supportive context. This process often involves rituals or behaviors that provide comfort and facilitate healing, illustrating how people work through their grief as part of the adaptation to loss.

Grieving, while closely related, refers more to the emotional experience itself rather than the social or cultural aspects of expressing that grief. Distress generally describes a broader emotional imbalance or suffering and does not specifically relate to the process of adjusting to loss. Condolence is a term used to express sympathy to someone who is grieving, but it does not inherently characterize the process of adjustment over time. Hence, mourning is the term that captures the social, emotional, and cultural dimensions of coping with grief over an extended period.