Death and Dying: A Comprehensive Overview of Stages, Reactions, and Cultural Perspectives, Slides of Psychology

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DEATH AND

DYING

CHAPTER 15

Module 15.

Death and Dying across the Life Span

Death across the Life Span:

Causes and Reactions

Death in infancy and childhood

• Miscarriage
• Still birth
• Sudden infant death (SIDS)
• Accidents
• Homicides

Parent reactions

• Rarely equipped to deal with death of child
• Often obsess about cause of death
• May feel part of self died with child

Death across the Life Span:

Causes and Reactions

Childhood

• No concept of death until around the age of 5
• Around the age of 5, better understanding of finality and irreversibility of death
• By about age 9, acceptance of universality and finality of death
• By middle childhood, understanding of some customs involved with death (e.g., funerals, cremation, and cemeteries)

Death across the Life Span:

Causes and Reactions

Young Adulthood

• Prime time of life
• Death seems unthinkable
• Creates feelings of anger and impatience Concerns
• Desire to develop intimate relationships and express sexuality
• Future planning

Death across the Life Span:

Causes and Reactions

Middle Adulthood

• Life-threatening disease not surprising
• Fear of death often greatest Causes
• Heart attack or stroke

Differing Conceptions of Death

• Reactions to death are diverse
• Dependent on practices and values of culture and subculture

Module 15.

Confronting Death

Moving Toward the End of Life

Figure 15.2 Moving Toward the End of Life There are five steps toward death, according to Kü bler-Ross ( 1975 ).

Evaluating Kübler-Ross’ Theory

PROS

• One of the first people to observe systematically how people approach their own deaths
• Increased public awareness and affected practices and policies related to dying CONS - Largely limited to those who are aware that they are dying - Less applicable to people who suffer from diseases in which the prognosis is uncertain - Stage-like increments questioned - Individual differences

Module 15.

Grief and Bereavement

What is the difference?

Bereavement

Grief

Death of Long-term Spouse

 Strength of relationship can have an effect on grieving process  Almost always a traumatic experience that is usually followed by intense grief and anguish

Grieving the Death of a Loved One

Stages of grief 1 st^ stage : grief typically entails shock, numbness, disbelief, or outright denial 2 nd stage : people begin to confront the death and realize the extent of their loss 3 rd stage : people reach the accommod ation stage