Dying, Death, and Bereavement

by Aiken, Lewis R.

• ISBN13: 9780805835045
• ISBN10: 0805835040
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-07-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

Death, Dying, and Bereavement, Fourth Edition is a brief but comprehensive interdisciplinary survey of research, writings, and professional practices concerned with death and dying. It is intended for courses on the topic but may also serve as a supplementary text in other subjects. The focus of the book is interdisciplinary and eclectic: medical, psychological, religious, philosophical, artistic, and demographic matters concerned with dying, death, bereavement, and widowhood are all considered, but with an emphasis on the psycho-logical aspects of death and dying. A variety of view-points and research findings on topics subsumed under "thanatology" receive thorough consideration in individual chapters.The new edition features the most recent material on moral issues and court cases concerned with abortion and euthanasia, the widespread problem of AIDS and other deadly diseases, the tragedies occasioned by epidemics, starvation, and war, and the resumption of capital punishment in many states.The current edition also boasts a more multicultural flavor to reflect the increased economic, social, and physical interdependency among the nations of the world.In addition to including a wide range of empirical findings and theoretical viewpoints, questions, activities, and projects have been included at the end of each chapter to enhance reflection and to make the material personal and realistic.The topics that receive increased attention in the fourth edition are: terror management; multicultural perspectives; attitudes, and practices concerning death; cross-cultural concepts of afterlife; gallows humor, out-of-body experiences; spiritualism; mass suicide; pet death; romantic death;AIDS; euthanasia; right to die; postbereavement depression; firearm deaths in children; children's understanding of death; child and adolescent suicide; suicide and the elderly; physician-assisted suicide; religious customs a

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
PART I Introduction	1	(34)
Mortality and Thanatology	3	(32)
Denial and Acceptance of Death	5	(2)
Definitions and Determination of Death	7	(6)
Demography, Death Rate, and Life Expectancy	13	(3)
Age and Other Individual Differences	16	(11)
Public and Professional Interest in Thanatology	27	(3)
Summary	30	(3)
Questions and Activities	33	(1)
Suggested Readings	34	(1)
PART II Causes and Circumstances of Death	35	(88)
Aging, Disease, and Starvation	37	(30)
Aging and Longevity	38	(5)
Theories of Aging	43	(3)
Fatal Diseases	46	(12)
Epidemics and Starvation	58	(4)
Summary	62	(1)
Questions and Activities	63	(1)
Suggested Readings	64	(3)
Accidental Death and Suicide	67	(26)
Accidental Death	68	(6)
Suicide	74	(14)
Summary	88	(1)
Questions and Activities	89	(1)
Suggested Readings	90	(3)
Homicide and War	93	(30)
Homicide: Meanings, Circumstances, and Causes	94	(14)
Genocide, Assassination, and Terrorism	108	(2)
War	110	(7)
Summary	117	(1)
Questions and Activities	118	(2)
Suggested Readings	120	(3)
PART III Cultural Beliefs and Customs	123	(98)
Funerary Rituals and Religion	125	(36)
Traditional Funerary Rites and Customs	127	(14)
Modern Funeral Practices	141	(5)
Religious Beliefs	146	(9)
Summary	155	(2)
Questions and Activities	157	(3)
Suggested Readings	160	(1)
The Arts and Philosophy	161	(26)
Death in the Nonverbal Arts	163	(6)
Death in Literature	169	(7)
Death in Philosophy	176	(6)
Summary	182	(1)
Questions and Activities	183	(1)
Suggested Readings	184	(3)
Legal Practices and Issues	187	(34)
Cause of Death and Disposal of the Body	189	(5)
Abortion	194	(2)
Euthanasia and Natural Death	196	(6)
Capital Punishment	202	(8)
Wills, Taxes, and Insurance	210	(6)
Summary	216	(1)
Questions and Activities	217	(2)
Suggested Readings	219	(2)
PART IV Human Development and Death	221	(52)
Children and Death	223	(28)
Death in Childhood	225	(3)
Children's Conceptions and Fears of Death	228	(9)
Fatally III Children	237	(5)
Death of a Parent	242	(2)
Death Education	244	(2)
Summary	246	(2)
Questions and Activities	248	(2)
Suggested Readings	250	(1)
Death Attitudes, Fears, and Beliefs of Adults	251	(22)
Attitudes Toward Death	254	(2)
Fears of Death	256	(7)
Religious Beliefs and Near-Death Experiences	263	(6)
Summary	269	(1)
Questions and Activities	270	(2)
Suggested Readings	272	(1)
PART V Dying and Surviving	273	(56)
The Process of Dying	275	(26)
Timing and Sequence in Dying	276	(7)
Hospital and Nursing Home Treatment	283	(7)
Hospice Care	290	(4)
Communicating With and Counseling the Dying	294	(4)
Summary	298	(1)
Questions and Activities	299	(1)
Suggested Readings	300	(1)
Bereavement and Widowhood	301	(28)
Bereavement, Mourning, and Grief	302	(8)
Effects of Bereavement on Illness and Mortality	310	(5)
Bereavement Counseling and Therapy	315	(4)
Widowhood	319	(6)
Summary	325	(2)
Questions and Activities	327	(1)
Suggested Readings	328	(1)
Appendix A Representative List of Names and Addresses o Periodicals Concerned With Death and Dying	329	(4)
Appendix B Representative List of Names and Addresses of Organizations Concerned With Death and Dying	333	(6)
Appendix C Representative List of Books on Death and Dying for Children and Adolescents	339	(4)
Appendix D Questionnaires, Inventories, and Scales for Assessing Fears, Anxiety, and Attitudes Toward Death	343	(4)
Appendix E Test on Facts About Dying, Death, and Bereavement	347	(2)
Glossary	349	(14)
References	363	(26)
Author Index	389	(6)
Subject Index	395