[Psychological aspects of the situation of widows/widowers].

It is argued that role-theory partly accounts for the neglect of the situation of the widowed within gerontological research. A selection of some important aspects of empirical evidence concerning the Anglo-American scientific research on the widowed is discussed; these are; --the time of mourning --the importance of sex differences --the importance of age --the significance of "anticipation" --"life styles" of widows.