Death anxiety (psychology)

Death Anxiety in psychology refers to the morbid, abnormal, or persistent fear of one's own death or the process of dying. It is a fundamental aspect of the human condition and is considered an important element in several psychological theories.

Le Mire et Oudry - La Fontaine, fable 'La mort et le mourant' (illustration)

Understanding Death Anxiety

Death anxiety stems from the basic survival instinct combined with the awareness of the inevitability of death. It may provoke existential angst and a range of psychological and emotional responses including denial, despair, depression, or avoidance.

Theoretical Perspectives

• Several theoretical perspectives address death anxiety:
• Sigmund Freud suggested that humans could not truly fear death, as it remained an unknown concept, and any claimed fear of death was a displacement of other anxieties.
• Ernest Becker, in his Pulitzer Prize-winning work "The Denial of Death," argued that the fear of death is one of the primary driving forces of human behavior.
• Existentialist psychology, drawing from philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger, considers confronting and accepting the inevitability of death as essential for authentic living.

Measurement

Various self-report scales like the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) or the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS) have been developed to measure death anxiety.

Management and Treatment

Treatment for excessive or debilitating death anxiety often involves psychotherapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used to challenge and change the irrational thoughts associated with the fear of death. Mindfulness and acceptance strategies can also be useful in helping individuals confront and accept their mortality.

See Also

• Anxiety disorder
• Existentialism
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Mindfulness

References

• Yalom, Irvin D. (2008). Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death. Jossey-Bass. ISBN 978-0-7879-9531-3.
• Becker, Ernest (1973). The Denial of Death. Free Press. ISBN 978-0-02-902310-5.
• Neimeyer, Robert A. (1994). Death Anxiety Handbook: Research, Instrumentation, and Application. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-56032-621-0.

External Links

• The Role of Death in Life: Existential Aspects of Death Anxiety - Psychology Today
• Understanding and Overcoming Fear of Death - Verywell Mind
• Coping with Fear of Death - WebMD

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