Introduction to psychology: Developmental

psychology

• Death and dying – The Kübler-Ross Model

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, who worked with the founders of hospice care, described the process of an
individual accepting their own death. She proposed five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, and acceptance.

The Kübler-Ross Model

Emotion Behaviour

Denial In this stage, individuals deny the seriousness of the illness, believe the
diagnosis is somehow mistaken, or embrace a preferable reality. Most
people move in an out of denial. Kübler-Ross suggests that prolonged denial
of death impedes one’s capacity to move through the following stages
towards acceptance.

Anger When the individual recognises that denial cannot continue, they become
frustrated, especially at proximate individuals. Individuals may direct
resentment, rage, or envy towards health professionals or loved ones.

Bargaining Realising the inevitability of death, the person attempts to bargain for more
time. They may attempt to “strike a deal” with health professionals, family,
or their God.

Depression When denial, anger, and bargaining fail to postpone impending death, the
person becomes depressed about the loss of their life.

Acceptance Most people who reach acceptance, a state of peace and quiet about their
upcoming death, do so only within days or weeks of their death. At this time,
people have described feeling disengaged from all but their closest family
members.

© Monash University FutureLearn 1