Last Dance : Encountering Death and Dying

by Despelder, Lynne Ann; Strickland, Albert Lee

• ISBN13: 9780767402170
• ISBN10: 0767402170
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-07-01
• Publisher: Mayfield Pub Co

Summary

The best-selling textbook in the field, "The Last Dance" offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of death and dying. Integrating the experiential, scholarly, social, individual, emotional, and intellectual dimensions of death and dying, the seventh edition of this acclaimed text has been thoroughly revised to offer cutting-edge and comprehensive coverage of death studies. Together with its companion volumes, this new edition of "The Last Dance" provides solid grounding in theory and research, as well as practical application to students' lives.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Prologue	1	(4)
David Gordon
CHAPTER I Attitudes Toward Death: A Climate of Change	5	(36)
Factors Affecting Familiarity with Death	7	(6)
Life Expectancy and Mortality Rates	8	(2)
Causes of Death	10	(1)
Geographical Mobility	11	(1)
Displacement of Death from the Home	11	(1)
Life-Extending Technologies	12	(1)
Expressions of Attitudes toward Death	13	(18)
Language	13	(2)
Humor	15	(2)
Mass Media	17	(1)
In the News	18	(2)
Entertaining Death	20	(3)
Music	23	(4)
Literature	27	(1)
Visual Arts	28	(3)
The Present Milieu: Death Attitudes and Awareness	31	(7)
Pioneers in Death Studies	33	(1)
The Rise of Death Education	34	(3)
Is Death Out of the Closet?	37	(1)
Examining Assumptions	38	(1)
Further Readings	39	(2)
CHAPTER 2 Perspectives on Death: Cross-Cultural and Historical	41	(38)
Death in Early and Traditional Cultures	42	(6)
Origin of Death	43	(1)
Causes of Death	44	(2)
Power of the Dead	46	(1)
Names of the Dead	47	(1)
Death and Dying in Western Culture	48	(10)
Dying and the Deathbed Scene	51	(2)
Burial Customs	53	(1)
Charnel Houses	53	(2)
Memorializing the Dead	55	(1)
The Dance of Death	56	(1)
Invisible Death?	57	(1)
Four Cultural Case Studies	58	(18)
Native American Traditions	58	(5)
African Traditions	63	(3)
Mexican Traditions	66	(3)
Asian Traditions	69	(7)
Rediscovering the Commemoration of Death	76	(1)
Further Readings	77	(2)
CHAPTER 3 Learning About Death: The Influence of Sociocultural Forces	79	(40)
A Mature Concept of Death	80	(2)
Sociocultural Influences on Our Understanding of Death	82	(25)
Theoretical Perspectives	83	(1)
The Structural-Functionalist Approach	83	(2)
Symbolic Interactionism	85	(3)
The Social Learning Approach	88	(1)
Agents of Socialization	88	(3)
Family	91	(1)
School and Peers	91	(3)
Mass Media	94	(3)
Religion	97	(2)
Other Agents	99	(1)
Early Experiences with Death	99	(4)
Teachable Moments	103	(4)
Death in Contemporary Multicultural Societies	107	(8)
Distinctive Traditions: Ethnicity and Pluralism	107	(2)
Mixed Plate: Ethnic Identity in Hawaii	109	(1)
Characteristics of Hawaii's Peoples	110	(3)
Assimilation and Accommodation in Death Rites	113	(2)
The Mature Concept of Death Revisited	115	(2)
Further Readings	117	(2)
CHAPTER 4 Health Care Systems: Patients, Staff, and Institutions	119	(32)
Modern Health Care	120	(5)
Health Care Financing	121	(3)
Rationing Scarce Resources	124	(1)
Care of the Dying	125	(14)
Palliative Care	126	(2)
Hospice Care	128	(1)
St. Christopher's Hospice	129	(2)
The Goals of Hospice Care	131	(1)
Challenges to Hospice Care	132	(2)
Palliative Care in Hospitals	134	(1)
Home Care	135	(1)
Social Support for the Dying	136	(1)
Trauma Care	137	(2)
The Patient-Caregiver Relationship	139	(4)
Disclosing a Life-Threatening Diagnosis	140	(1)
Achieving Clear Communication	140	(3)
Providing Total Care	143	(1)
Stress in the Helping Professions	143	(4)
Death in the ER	145	(1)
Coping with Dying and Death	146	(1)
Being with Someone Who Is Dying	147	(1)
Further Readings	148	(3)
CHAPTER 5 Facing Death: Living with Life-Threatening Illness	151	(40)
Personal and Social Meanings of Life-Threatening Illnesses	153	(2)
Coping with Life-Threatening Illness	155	(11)
Adapting to "Living/Dying"	156	(6)
Awareness of Dying	162	(1)
Maintaining Coping Potency	163	(3)
Treatment Options and Issues	166	(17)
Surgery	169	(1)
Radiation Therapy	170	(1)
Chemotherapy	171	(1)
Immunotherapy	172	(1)
Organ Transplantation	172	(2)
Alternative Therapies	174	(2)
Adjunctive Therapies	176	(2)
Unorthodox Treatment	178	(2)
Pain Management	180	(3)
The Dying Trajectory	183	(2)
The Social Role of the Dying Patient	185	(3)
Further Readings	188	(3)
CHAPTER 6 Medical Ethics: Dying in a Technological Age	191	(32)
Fundamental Ethical Principles	193	(1)
Informed Consent to Treatment	194	(5)
Choosing Death: Euthanasia and Allowing to Die	199	(12)
Nutrition and Hydration	204	(5)
Seriously Ill Newborns	209	(2)
Defining Death	211	(9)
The Traditional Signs of Death and the New Technology	212	(2)
Conceptual and Empirical Criteria	214	(1)
Four Approaches to the Definition and Determination of Death	215	(1)
Irreversible Loss of Flow of Vital Fluids	215	(1)
Irreversible Loss of the Soul from the Body	215	(2)
Irreversible Loss of the Capacity for Bodily Integration	217	(1)
Irreversible Loss of the Capacity for Consciousness or Social Interaction	218	(2)
Considering Ethical Issues in Medicine	220	(1)
Further Readings	220	(3)
CHAPTER 7 Survivors: Understanding the Experience of Loss	223	(44)
Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning	224	(2)
Models of Grief	226	(10)
Working Through Grief	226	(10)
Tasks of Mourning	229	(1)
Maintaining Bonds with the Deceased	230	(3)
Telling the "Story": Narrative Approaches	233	(1)
Toward an Integrated Model of Grief	234	(2)
The Experience of Grief and Mourning	236	(10)
Manifestations of Grief	236	(2)
Phases of Grief	238	(3)
Complicated Grief	241	(3)
The Mortality of Bereavement	244	(1)
Intellectual Versus Emotional Responses	245	(1)
Variables Influencing Grief	246	(14)
Survivor's Model of the World	247	(1)
Personality	247	(1)
Social Roles	247	(1)
Perception of the Deceased's Importance	248	(2)
Values	250	(1)
Mode of Death	250	(1)
Anticipated Death	250	(1)
Sudden Death	251	(1)
Suicide	252	(1)
Homicide	253	(1)
Disaster	254	(1)
High-Grief Versus Low-Grief Deaths	254	(2)
Social Support	256	(2)
Unfinished Business	258	(2)
Coping Mechanisms for Survivors	260	(2)
Bereavement as an Opportunity for Growth	262	(3)
Further Readings	265	(2)
CHAPTER 8 Last Rites: Funerals and Body Disposition	267	(40)
Psychosocial Aspects of Last Rites	269	(7)
Death Notification	269	(4)
Mutual Support	273	(1)
Impetus for Coping with Loss	273	(3)
The American Funeral	276	(4)
Criticisms	276	(2)
History	278	(2)
Selecting Funeral Services	280	(10)
Funeral Service Charges	281	(1)
Comparing the Costs	282	(1)
Professional Services	283	(1)
Embalming	284	(2)
Caskets	286	(2)
Outer Burial Containers	288	(1)
Facilities and Vehicles	288	(1)
Miscellaneous Charges	289	(1)
Direct Cremations and Immediate Burials	289	(1)
Funeral and Memorial Societies	290	(1)
Body Disposition	290	(9)
Burlal	293	(3)
Cremation	296	(2)
Memorialization	298	(1)
Laws Regulating Body Disposition	299	(1)
Making Meaningful Choices	299	(5)
Further Readings	304	(3)
CHAPTER 9 The Law and Death	307	(34)
Legal Issues in the Public Arena	308	(9)
Legislation Defining Death	308	(3)
Advance Directives	311	(4)
Physician-Assisted Death	315	(2)
Organ Donation	317	(3)
Death Certification	320	(2)
The Coroner and the Medical Examiner	322	(1)
Autopsies	323	(3)
Wills and Inheritance	326	(6)
Definitions and Elements of Wills	328	(2)
The Formally Executed Will	330	(1)
Amending or Revoking a Will	331	(1)
Probate	332	(4)
The Duties of the Executor or Administrator	332	(3)
Avoiding Probate	335	(1)
Laws of Interstate Succession	335	(1)
Life Insurance and Death Benefits	336	(3)
Further Readings	339	(2)
CHAPTER 10 Death in the Lives of Children and Adolescents	341	(44)
Early Childhood Encounters with Death	342	(4)
Death-Experienced Children, Ages One to Three	344	(1)
The Very Young Child and Death: An Example	344	(2)
Development of the Understanding of Death	346	(10)
Infancy and Toddlerhood	350	(1)
Early Childhood	350	(2)
The Middle Years of Childhood	352	(1)
Adolescence	353	(2)
The Evolution of a Mature Concept of Death	355	(1)
Children with Life-Threatening Illnesses	356	(4)
The Child's Perception of Serious Illness	357	(1)
The Child's Coping Mechanisms	357	(2)
Caring for a Seriously Ill Child	359	(1)
Children as Survivors of a Close Death	360	(10)
The Bereaved Child's Experience of Grief	360	(3)
The Death of a Pet	363	(2)
The Death of a Parent	365	(2)
The Death of a Sibling	367	(3)
Helping Children Cope with Change and Loss	370	(12)
Guidelines for Sharing Information	371	(1)
Discussing Death Before a Crisis Occurs	372	(2)
When a Family Member Is Seriously Ill	374	(1)
In the Aftermath of Loss	374	(3)
Using Books as Tools for Coping	377	(1)
Support Groups for Children	378	(4)
Further Readings	382	(3)
CHAPTER 11 Death in the Lives of Adults	385	(28)
Parental Bereavement	386	(14)
Coping with Parental Bereavement as a Couple	387	(1)
Childbearing Losses	388	(4)
Miscarriage	392	(1)
Induced Abortion	393	(1)
Stillbirth	394	(1)
Neonatal Death	395	(1)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome	395	(1)
The Death of an Older Child	396	(2)
The Death of an Adult Child	398	(1)
Social Support in Parental Bereavement	399	(1)
Death of a Parent	400	(1)
Spousal Bereavement	401	(6)
Factors Influencing Spousal Bereavement	402	(4)
Social Support for Bereaved Spouses	406	(1)
Aging and the Aged	407	(4)
Further Readings	411	(2)
CHAPTER 12 Suicide	413	(42)
Comprehending Suicide	414	(4)
Statistical Issues	415	(1)
The Psychological Autopsy	416	(2)
Explanatory Theories of Suicide	418	(7)
The Social Context of Suicide	418	(1)
Degree of Social Regulation	418	(1)
Degree of Social Integration	419	(4)
The Psychodynamics of Suicide	423	(1)
Aggression	424	(1)
Ambivalence	424	(1)
Toward an Integrated Understanding of Suicide	424	(1)
Some Types of Suicide	425	(5)
Suicide as Escape	425	(2)
Psychotic Suicide and Depression	427	(1)
Subintentional and Chronic Suicide	427	(1)
Cry for Help	428	(2)
Risk Factors Influencing Suicide	430	(5)
Culture	430	(3)
Personality	433	(1)
The Individual Situation	434	(1)
Biologic Factors	435	(1)
Lifespan Perspectives on Suicide	435	(5)
Childhood	435	(1)
Adolescence and Young Adulthood	436	(3)
Middle Adulthood	439	(1)
Late Adulthood	440	(1)
Contemplating Suicide	440	(3)
Choice of Method	441	(2)
Order of Lethality	443	(1)
Suicide Notes	443	(2)
Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention	445	(4)
Prevention	446	(2)
Intervention	448	(1)
Postvention	448	(1)
Helping a Person Who Is in Suicidal Crisis	449	(4)
Further Readings	453	(2)
CHAPTER 13 Risks of Death in the Modern World	455	(46)
Risk Taking	456	(2)
Accidents	458	(3)
Disasters	461	(5)
Reducing the Impact of Disasters	461	(2)
Coping with the Aftermath of Disaster	463	(3)
Violence	466	(10)
Assessing the Homicidal Act	470	(3)
Capital Punishment	473	(2)
Steps Toward Reducing Violence	475	(1)
War	476	(3)
Technological Alienation	479	(10)
The Conversion of the Warrior	480	(3)
Coping with the Aftermath of War	483	(3)
Making War, Making Peace	486	(2)
The Nuclear Threat	488	(1)
AIDS and Other Emerging Diseases	489	(10)
The Response to AIDS	490	(2)
Living with AIDS	492	(4)
The Threat of Emerging Diseases	496	(3)
Coping with Risks	499	(1)
Further Readings	499	(2)
CHAPTER 14 Beyond Death/After Life	501	(34)
Traditional Concepts About Life After Death	502	(2)
Jewish Beliefs About Death and Resurrection	504	(2)
Hellenistic Concepts of Immortality	506	(3)
Christian Beliefs About the Afterlife	509	(2)
The Afterlife in Islamic Tradition	511	(2)
Death and Immortality in Asian Religions	513	(6)
Hindu Theologies of Death and Rebirth	514	(2)
The Buddhist Understanding of Death	516	(1)
After-Death States in Tibetan Buddhism	517	(2)
Secular Concepts of Immortality	519	(3)
Near-Death Experiences: At the Threshold of Death	522	(8)
NDEs: A Composite Picture	522	(2)
Dimensions of Near-Death Experiences	524	(1)
Interpreting Near-Death Experiences	525	(5)
Death Themes in Dreams and Psychedelic Experiences	530	(2)
Beliefs About Death: A Wall or a Door?	532	(1)
Further Readings	533	(2)
CHAPTER 15 The Path Ahead: Personal and Social Choices	535	(24)
The Value of Exploring Death and Dying	536	(5)
New Directions in Death Education	541	(5)
Death in the Future	546	(4)
Living with Death and Dying	550	(6)
Humanizing Death and Dying	551	(2)
Defining the Good Death	553	(3)
Postscript and Farewell	556	(1)
Further Readings	557	(2)
Epilogue	559	(2)
David Gordon
Notes	561	(68)
Credits and Sources	629	(3)
Name Index	632	(11)
Subject Index	643