Death used to be perceived as an abrupt, sudden event that was caused by a severe and unanticipated occurrence. However, this apprehension began to change throughout the second half of the 20th century, as people started to live longer lives and died from more degenerative diseases. Because of this, death became much less of a sudden surprise and much more of an accepted result of life. However, just because death is expected, that does not make it any less of a painful experience to those involved. When someone dies, the chain of affected people is made-up of many. A few examples of those who are affected would be immediate family members, friends, and co-workers as well as the nurses who worked with a deceased patient, a news anchor covering
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The first way death takes a toll on someone is by uncertainty of it. To be clear, it is certain that we will all die, however, it is the: who, what, when, how, and what now questions that cause anxiety about death. “The inevitability, irreversibility, and permanence of death create anxiety in all individuals at some time in life.” Two types of anxiety that emerge in the face of death are existential death anxiety and tangible death anxiety. Existential death anxiety’s main component is the unknown. This form of death anxiety feeds on the basic knowledge and awareness of human mortality combined with the uncertainty of what happens after death. Tangible death anxiety’s main component is the known. This form of death anxiety deals with the fate of the body or anxiety about the body as it is dying. “The inevitability of death is both a threat to meaning and existence as well as an opportunity.” Furthermore, the second way in which death takes a toll on a person is through the grieving process after someone has lost someone close to him or her. The grieving process is influenced by many different personal and situational factors, and may be extended or fairly brief. Situational factors that may impact how well someone might cope with death are the suddenness and cause of the death, the relationship that was had with the person who died, or the time that has passed since the death. Additionally, individuals follow differing paths of coping whether it is consciously or
The first way death takes a toll on someone is by uncertainty of it. To be clear, it is certain that we will all die, however, it is the: who, what, when, how, and what now questions that cause anxiety about death. “The inevitability, irreversibility, and permanence of death create anxiety in all individuals at some time in life.” Two types of anxiety that emerge in the face of death are existential death anxiety and tangible death anxiety. Existential death anxiety’s main component is the unknown. This form of death anxiety feeds on the basic knowledge and awareness of human mortality combined with the uncertainty of what happens after death. Tangible death anxiety’s main component is the known. This form of death anxiety deals with the fate of the body or anxiety about the body as it is dying. “The inevitability of death is both a threat to meaning and existence as well as an opportunity.” Furthermore, the second way in which death takes a toll on a person is through the grieving process after someone has lost someone close to him or her. The grieving process is influenced by many different personal and situational factors, and may be extended or fairly brief. Situational factors that may impact how well someone might cope with death are the suddenness and cause of the death, the relationship that was had with the person who died, or the time that has passed since the death. Additionally, individuals follow differing paths of coping whether it is consciously or