Chapter 9:

Death and Dying

Module 9.1
Dying and Death Across
the Life Span

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 DYING AND DEATH ACROSS
THE LIFESPAN

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 What is death?
• Functional death
• Brain death
• Legal death

474
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Should children be shielded
from death?

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Death across the Life Span:
Causes and Reactions
• Infancy and childhood
– Miscarriage
– Still birth
– Sudden infant death
– Accidents
– Homicides

475
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Death across the Life Span:
Causes and Reactions
• Childhood
– No concept of death until around the age of 5
– Around the age of 5, better understanding of
finality and irreversibility of death
– By about age 9, acceptance of universality and
finality of death
– By middle childhood, understanding of some
customs involved with death (e.g., funerals,
cremation, and cemeteries)
476
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Death across the Life Span:
Causes and Reactions
• Adolescence
– View of death are often unrealistic
– Sense of invincibility
– Personal fable
– Imaginary audience
• Terminal Illness
– Denial
– Depression
476
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Death across the Life Span:
Causes and Reactions
• Young Adulthood
– Prime time of life
– Death seems unthinkable
– Creates feelings of anger and impatience
• Concerns
– Desire to develop intimate relationships and
express sexuality
– Future planning
477
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Death across the Life Span:
Causes and Reactions
• Middle Adulthood
– Life-threatening disease not surprising
– Fear of death often greatest
• Causes
– Heart attack or stroke

477
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Death across the Life Span:
Causes and Reactions
• Late adulthood
– Realize death is imminent
– Face an increasing number of deaths in their
environment
– Less anxious about dying
– Causes
• Cancer, stroke, and heart disease
– Terminal death

477
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Suicide in Later Life
• Rate for men climbs steadily during late
adulthood
• No age group has a higher rate of suicide
than white men over the age of 85
– Severe depression
– Some form of dementia
– Loss of a spouse

477
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Is life always worth living?

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Terminal Decline
• Suffering
• Burden to loved ones
• Decrease in value to society

478
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Differing Conceptions of Death
Developmental Diversity
• Reactions to death are diverse
– Dependent on practices and values of
culture and subculture

478
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Do you agree?

Death education should be mandated

for all college students?

Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 What is death education?
• Death education encompasses programs
that teach about death, dying, and grief
– Crisis intervention education
– Routine death education
– Education for members of the helping
professions

479
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Review and Apply
REVIEW
• Functional death is defined as the cessation of heartbeat
and respiration; brain death is defined by the absence of
electrical brain waves.

• What defines death has changed as medical advances

allow us to resuscitate people who would once have
been considered dead. Some medical experts believe
that a person is in fact dead when they can no longer
think, reason, or feel, and can never again live anything
resembling a human life.

• The death of an infant or young child can be particularly

difficult for parents, and for an adolescent death appears
to be unthinkable.
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman 480
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Review and Apply
REVIEW
• Cultural differences in attitudes and beliefs
about death strongly influence people’s
reactions to it.

• Thanatologists recommend that death education

become a normal part of learning.

480
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Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.
 Review and Apply
APPLY
• Do you think people who are going to die
should be told? Does your response
depend on the person’s age?

480
Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.  All rights reserved.