Assumptive World Theory: When Loss Shatters Beliefs

Assumptive world theory, developed by psychologist Colin Murray Parkes, holds that people operate from a set of core assumptions about safety, fairness, and continuity, and that traumatic loss can shatter those foundational beliefs all at once.

AI writing and reflection tools can help you articulate which assumptions have been disrupted and begin the slow work of rebuilding a revised but livable worldview after devastating loss.