Developmental Psychology - Death
The study of death and dying is called Thanatology. It examines the psychological, social, and emotional aspects of death, as well as coping and bereavement processes.
study of death and dying
o Thanatology
Key Terms
study of death and dying
o Thanatology
personal, patient- and family-centered, compassionate care for the terminally ill
o Hospice Care
includes relief of pain and suffering, controlling of symptoms, alleviation of stress, and attempts to maintain a satisfactory quality of life
o Palliative Care
specifically to a widely observed decline in cognitive abilities shortly before death
o Terminal Drop or Terminal Decline
often involving a sense of being out of the body or sucked into a tunnel and visions of bright lights or mystical encounters
o Near-Death Experience
• Linked to stimulation or damage of various brain areas, most notably in bilateral frontal and occipital areas
o Five Stages of Death
Denial
Anger
Bargain
Depression
Acceptance
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
study of death and dying | o Thanatology |
personal, patient- and family-centered, compassionate care for the terminally ill | o Hospice Care |
includes relief of pain and suffering, controlling of symptoms, alleviation of stress, and attempts to maintain a satisfactory quality of life | o Palliative Care |
specifically to a widely observed decline in cognitive abilities shortly before death | o Terminal Drop or Terminal Decline |
often involving a sense of being out of the body or sucked into a tunnel and visions of bright lights or mystical encounters | o Near-Death Experience • Linked to stimulation or damage of various brain areas, most notably in bilateral frontal and occipital areas • Generally experienced as positive as a result of the release of endorphins |
o Five Stages of Death | Denial Anger Bargain Depression Acceptance |
emotional response that generally follows closely on the heels of death | o Grief |
– response to the loss of some whom a person feels close | o Bereavement |
working out of psychological issues connected with grief often takes the following path: | o Grief Work 1. Shock and Disbelief 2. Preoccupation with the memory of the dead person 3. Resolution |
– mourner goes high to low distress | o Recovery Pattern |
moderate or elevated initial grief, and symptoms worsen over time | This pattern is known as chronic grief, where initial grief is moderate or high and intensifies over time instead of improving. |
moderate or elevated initial grief, and symptoms worsen over time | o Delayed Grief |
distressed for a long time | o Chronic Grief |
the mourner shows a low and gradually diminishing level of grief in response to the death of a loved one | o Resilience |
– human’s unique understanding of death, in concert with self-preservation needs and capacity for fear, results in common emotional and psychological responses when mortality, or thoughts of death are made salient | o Terror Management Theory |
neurological condition which states the person is brain dead when all electrical activity of the brain has ceased for a specific period of time | o Brain Death • Higher portions of the brains dies sooner than lower parts which facilitates breathing and heartbeat • That is why your brain could be dead but you still have heartbeat for the mean time |
good death, intended to end suffering or to allow terminally ill person to die with dignity | o Euthanasia |
involves withholding or discontinuing treatment that might extend the life of a terminally ill patient such as life support | Passive Euthasia |
– “mercy killing” involves action taken directly or deliberate to shorten life | • Active |
contains instructions for when and how to discontinue futile medical care | o Advance Directive • Living will or a more formal legal document called a durable power of attorney |
appoints another person if the maker of the document becomes incompetent to do so | • Durable Power of Attorney |
– physician or someone else helps a person bring about a self-inflicted death | – physician or someone else helps a person bring about a self-inflicted death |
a process of reminisce that enables a person to see the significance of his or her life | o Life Review |