In her essay, On the Fear of Death, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross discusses the “changes that have taken place in the last few decades, changes that are ultimately responsible for the increased fear of death...” (On the Fear of Death, Page 2). Furthermore, Kubler-Ross emphasizes this increased fear, with the discussion of the treatment for the severely ill. Kubler-Ross claims that severely ill patients are “often treated like a person with no right to opinion,” and goes so far as to say “it would take so little to remember that the sick person too has feelings, has wishes and opinions, and has...the right to be heard” (On the Fear of Death, Page 4). It is with this claim that Kubler-Ross overlays the continuing problem of avoidance and objectivity …show more content…
There is a “mechanical, depersonalized approach” for our defensiveness. This mechanical approach, the increasing use of “infusions and transfusions” are the cause of the objectifying perspective on the severely ill (On the Fear of Death, Page 6). The ill person no longer becomes a personal problem, but financially concerning object of death. With new technology in hospitals such as heart machines, medical mechanisms, and multitudes of medications, the severely ill is isolated and depersonalized to the point of becoming an object of great concern and nothing more. If a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he will be treated. Doctors and nurses will busily work around him. The man will only overhear discussion of his condition to his family members and nothing to him. It is at this point that the man with terminal cancer is now just an object being treated. This is turn it for the doctors, the nurses, and the family to distance themselves from death and to busy themselves with the condition of this ‘thing’. Fear is most increased with its face to face. Therefore, avoiding the ill and making it a thing, may depersonalize the ill enough to limit the reminder of death's
Death is inevitable. It is one of the only certainties in life. Regardless, people are often uncomfortable discussing death. Nyatanga (2016) posits that the idea of no longer existing increases anxiety and emotional distress in relation to one’s mortality. Because of the difficulty in level of care for end-of-life patients, the patient and the family often need professional assistance for physical and emotional care. Many family caregivers are not professionally trained in medicine, and this is where hospice comes into play. Hospice aims to meet the holistic needs of both the patient and the patient’s family through treatment plans, education, and advocacy. There is a duality of care to the treatment provided by hospice staff in that they do not attempt to separate the patient’s care from the family’s care. Leming and Dickinson (2011) support that hospice, unlike other clinical fields, focuses on the patient and the family together instead of seeing the patient independent of the family. Many times in hospitals, the medical team focuses solely on the goal of returning the patient back to health in order for them to return to their normal lives. They do not take into account the psychological and spiritual components of the patient’s journey and the journey that the family must take as well. For treatment of the patient, Leming and Dickinson agree that hospice does not attempt to cure patients, and instead concentrates solely
Do all living things fear something? Those with minds surely have many and various fears, but even the simplest organisms must have fear, for fear is such a powerful feeling. Fear is all around us and is felt in every corner of the earth. Fear is the emotion or feeling that a living creature gets when its physical or mental life is interrupted by a change that causes the creature concern.
illnesses, and their loved ones are often reduced to helpless observers. Terminally ill patients are
The author of the play Everyman views death from the Catholic point of view. The moral message to live each day with the goal of eternal life in Heaven in mind sets the tone of the play. Everyman illustrates that every man’s soul needs to be saved before death or he will not have eternal life with God. The author views death as the foundation of man’s spiritual journey with God in Heaven or as the initiation of the soul’s damnation. The author portrays death as God’s messenger. The play underscores a message that the treatment of death is similar for every man, as he is held accountable for his actions and deeds in life upon facing death. Additionally, the only way to avoid death is to strive towards achieving ever-lasting life with God in
The fear of death is meaningless in this concept. But what are we fearing in death? Is it the unimaginable or our life afterwards? Socrates does not seem to explain this; he simply summarizes that if you lead a life, such as seeking true wisdom, the idea of fear does not exist. What completely is death? He explains it as the separation of the soul and body, but is there actually more to that? For instance, what occurs to your body once you are liberated? How can the soul be called pure if it tainted within a body? Even though the body is simply a vessel, the actions of the individual and the knowledge they have is due to some of the information obtained from the body. The body is not completely evil; although it is distracting, the soul carries on the information of the body. So, in this sense, what does he mean by pure (pure from what- sin, distractions, false happiness). Socrates fails to take into account these type of questions and simply tries to state death as such: upon death, a person obtains an immortal and flawless soul and a person grows closer to the truth upon death.
Modern medicine has been fighting death and whether that is good or bad remains unknown. In the essay “On The Fear Of Dying,” Elisabeth Kübler-Ross dissects modern medicines effects on living and examines the mental and emotional toll it has taken on people. In the essay she talks about how regardless of modern medicine’s benefits, has allowed us to become more wary of acknowledging death and accepting it. The author explains that despite the advantages of these new advancements, medical advancements have lead to more emotional and mental problems regarding death. While Kübler-Ross takes a rather grim outlook on modern medicine, I agree with her; modern medicine has increased the average lifespan but has not changed the fearful ways we view death, has destroyed how we cope with death and dying, and has made dying an unpleasant experience.
To start of the novel Fear, by Gabriel Chevallier, Jean Dartemont is in France observing all the civilians celebrate the start of the new war. He criticizes their behavior and strongly disapproves, however, he admits a curiosity in him that convinces him to volunteer for the war for it will be a ‘remarkable spectacle.” After being approved to go to war, Dartemont heads to a training camp. There he becomes a private after failing to become an officer. Here he commands a group, but realized he finds the maintenance of soldiers to be tedious and useless work. Already he becomes quite eager to arrive at the front lines, which soon happens.
In the text, "Scared to Death," Ed Yong tells about the affect predators has on prey. He explains that every little thing that happens in an ecosystem, affects that particular ecosystem in some way. Yong also states that the fear of prey can change a whole ecosystem. Going along with this, Yong brings up the phrase "landscape of fear." In the way Yong describes this phrase, this landscape of fear can affect every aspect of am ecosystem.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross was a Swiss-born psychiatrist who spent two years of her professional career gathering information from terminally ill patients to create the premise for On Death and Dying. “It is not meant to be a textbook on how to manage dying patients, nor is it intended as a complete study of the psychology of dying.” (Kübler-Ross, 1969). This book was written as a call-to-action; to raise awareness of the voice of the dying. Not only is there stigma surrounding the topic, but also numerous misconceptions concerning the emotional journey of the terminally ill. The Kübler-Ross Model creates a framework for those interacting with dying persons, to help caretakers better understand the transitions that are taking place, resulting in higher-quality care. This model is comprised of five stages, which can be experienced in a variety of combinations. Prior to the first stage, the patient must be delivered the news of their illness or the severity of their illness, which usually results in shock. Denial is the first stage noted by Kübler-Ross. Denial and isolation are normal responses to overwhelming emotions and serve as a temporary response until the individual is ready to accept reality. Although this defense mechanism is normative, it is important to note that it isn’t necessarily healthy, and that some never move past this stage. As reality sets in, pain beings to emerge and manifests itself in the next stage: anger. Rationality takes a
My emotional response to this picture was negative and worried. It made me think about all the funerals I attended and it also made me think about how lonely it would be to be buried under ground. Unfortunately in my life I have had to experience many funerals. During a funeral normally people can look down and see how deep the whole is, this reminds me of the first time I saw someone being buried. It also made me think of that I do not want to be buried under ground. I have a fear of being buried alive because I do not like enclosed spaces. When I pass I would rather be cremated then being buried underground. My other reaction is that this picture shows respect. Even though people may think digging a hole is a negative job, it does show respect that you are making a place for a person’s loved one to be put to rest.
Fear is a feeling induced by experience, perceived danger, or watching a frightening traumatic accident. The fear responses arise from the perception of danger and ultimately a change in behaviour, such as fleeing, or hiding or from perceived traumatic events. Every person has fears and different fears may be different adaptations that have been useful in our evolutionary past. I have fears too, and sometime, I feel embarrassed to intersperse my fear with others.
Death is the world’s universal fear. The majority, if not the entirety, dread the day of their personal reckoning. Affirmed by the studies of creditable psychologists, people become heavily motivated by anxiety for their own mortality (Thagard, 2012), harboring particular rationales for fearing its end. It be clear, apprehension of death gravitates towards the extremely real possibility of unachieved accomplishments and an uncertainty of a hereafter (Quincy, 2007). But at the same time, what happens to frighten most is the authority and judgment of intimate religious figures. Since 84% of earth’s population practices some sort of faith (Harper, 2012), a fear of repercussions delivered by a higher power does not appear unpredictable. This is especially true for convicts on death row, or at least the ones who endorse in clerical thinking. With a fate sealed into cessation by confession of sinful decisions, God-fearing detainees eventually realize their spiritual release is doomed to the same ridicule in the afterlife: punishment. Take into consideration Ted Bundy, a Christian man, for demonstration. By reason of the cruel extent of his offenses, Bundy is titled to be one of the most notorious criminals of all time (Biography Online, n.d). His path of destruction and ruination traces to only thirty-six murders, yet he is believed to have committed hundreds more. At his trial, the jury condemned him to the death penalty over three times, horrified by his levels of brutality. In
Have you ever felt so scared that you thought that you would die? An article called “Can a person be scared to death?” posted by Scientific American explains that is it possible to be scared to death. When a person is afraid, their body produces a hormone called adrenaline. Adrenaline causes a person’s digestive system to slow, saliva glands to slow production of saliva, and heart rate to increase, which brings more blood to the muscles. Adrenaline is good for you, but when your body has too much, it become a toxin to the body. It can cause serious damage to the kidneys, liver, lungs and most of all the heart. Damage to the heart is usually the reason why people die from fear. Adrenaline causes the heart to take in too many calcium ions,
An unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat : Fear. Fear is a strong word, it can mean a variety of things and lead to a variety of things depending on who you are. My fear caused me to shake and tremble as if the world was coming to an end. It makes me feel safe around no one. I look back on my life and ask myself, was it all worth it for this? It makes me shrink and fall the size of of a humming bird. My stomach starts to feel like it never has before. My head is spinning in circles and my hands are trembling to the point where I think they might fall off.
Death is a very heart-rending. It is an event that is inevitable. "On the fear of death" by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross is an essay that explains why we as humans' have a fear of death. She makes several points to support that. One idea that is said throughout the essay is that man is and will always be afraid of death. She goes on about how children are overly-sheltered which is the reason we are still fearful of death. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross also goes over how death can be gruesome. My understanding is that everyone deals with death differently and death isn't always feared.