The most distinct feature is a "lowering of self-regard." The ego itself becomes "poor and empty."
In his seminal essay, Sigmund Freud provides a comparative analysis of how humans process loss. While both "mourning" and "melancholia" are triggered by the same event—the loss of a loved one or an abstract ideal—Freud distinguishes them by their impact on the ego. On Freud's "Mourning and Melancholia"
Freud defines mourning as a natural, conscious process of grieving. The most distinct feature is a "lowering of self-regard
Unlike the mourner, the melancholic may not know exactly what has been lost (e.g., they know who died, but not what that person represented to them). they know who died
While the world feels "poor and empty" during mourning, the ego remains intact.
