Reference no: EM133494964

Case Study: One hundred years ago it was common for births and deaths to occur at home where a number of generations of a family usually lived together. It was highly unusual for someone to grow up without having gone through the experience of seeing a family member die. Death was a more familiar presence then. Although the average person sees over 13,000 deaths on television and the movies by age 21, real illness and dying are usually relegated to hospitals. (Although that is changing a little with hospices - see below.) It is rare now for someone to have seen anyone die. Family members tend to die alone in hospitals. The "messy" work is taken care of for us.

Question 1: Why are we so afraid of dying? Is this separation of ourselves from the reality of death the cause or the symptom of our denial of death?

Another factor may be that America is a society that values youth - and many of the symbols of youth are positive (progress, learning, risk-taking, progressive, etc.). Another important aspect of the American denial of death is the lessening of the hold of traditional religion. Most religions promise believers the reward of a good life after death.

Question 2: Is this "reward" another way we deny the reality, messiness, and sadness that accompany death? Most importantly, what does this denial and subsequent fear of death do to us when a loved one or we, ourselves, are facing death? What are some other ways we deny death?