CHPT. 17

the death system: components of the system (5)

- people
- places or contexts
- times
- objects
- symbols

Cultural contexts/death system: most societies have...

- philosophical/religious beliefs, rituals/rites

The death system serves certain functions in a culture: these functions include...

- issuing warnings and predictions
- preventing death
- caring for the dying
- disposing of the dead
- social consolidation after death
- making sense of the death
- killing (when how and what reasons people can be killed)

Death in Gond culture VS. tanala culture:

- in the gond culture of india, death is believed to be caused by magi and demons, and the members of the culture react angrily to death
- in tanala culture of madagascar death is believed to be caused by natural forces, and the members show a much more p

The U.S. are death avoiders and death deniers.. this denial can take many forms: (6)

- the tendency of the funeral industry to gloss over death and fashion lifelike qualities of death
- the adoption of euphemistic language for death--passing on, never says die
- the persistent search for a fountain of youth
- the rejection and isolation o

passive euthanasia

- occurs when a person is allowed to die by withholding available treatment, such as withdrawing a life-sustaining device

active euthanasia

- occurs when death is deliberately induced, as when a lethal dose of a drug is injected

Traditionally, hospitals goals have been to cure illness and prolong life; in contrast to this hospice care emphasizes palliative care:

- which involves reducing paint and suffering and helping individuals die with dignity

Causes of death: infancy

- sudden infant death syndrome: an instance in which infants stop breathing and die without apparent cause

Cause of death: childhood

- accidents or illness

Cause of death: adolescence

- motor vehicle accidents
- suicide
- homicide

Younger adults are most likely to die from _________

- accidents

Cause of death: older adults

- form chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer

Attitudes toward death: childhood-infancy

- infants do not even have a rudimentary concept of death. BUT, they do develop an attachment for their caregiver and show anxiety when their caregiver is missing

Attitudes toward death: 3-5 years old

- have little or no idea what death means
- think that the dead can be brought back to life spontaneously by magic or by giving them food or medical treatment
- deny that death exists

Attitude towards death: 6-9 years

- believed that death exists but only happens to some people

Attitude towards death: 9 years and older

- recognizes deaths finality and universality

attitudes toward death: adolescence

- develop more abstract concepts than children
- develop religious and philosophical views about the nature of death and whether there is life after death

attitude toward death: adulthood

- an increase in consciousness about death accompanies individuals awareness that they are aging
- begin to think more about how much time they have left

Older adults, think about _________ more and talk about it more in conversation with others than do middle-aged and young adults

- death

Kubler ross stages of dying: (5)

- denial and isolation
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance