(Chapter Two
The definition of death varies from culture to culture and throughout history. The most recent definition uses the centralist theory of brain death. Dying is a social process. The person who is dying is living and is involved in living experiences with others. The American experience of death has taken us from “living death” (1600–1830), characterized by a constant preparation for and fear of death, to the “dying of death” (1830–1945), an era in which death was denied, removed from daily activities, and relegated to the funeral homes, and the emphasis was on ways to postpone or preempt death. The next stage, the “resurrection of death” (1945–the present), was prompted by the dropping of the atomic bomb, when death was once again on everyone’s mind and nuclear disaster was imminent. Today, we see evidence of the denial of death from the Victorian era, as well as the fear of death from the Puritans. Evidence supporting the view that the United States is basically a death-denying society includes the widespread use of euphemisms for death, taboos on death conversations, the fascination with cryonics, caskets built for comfort, cosmetically enhanced corpses, and internment after guests leave the gravesite. Death in the United States is feared because we have been taught to fear it. One way to prepare for death and reduce anxiety is by contemplating one’s own death.)
Read chapter two of your text. When is a person “dead”? Does death take place when the heart stops beating, when a person stops breathing, when there is no longer brain activity or is there another way to determine the moment of death?
Book If available: Leming, M. & Dickinson, G. (2020). Understanding dying, death & bereavement (ninth edition). Belmont, CA: Cengage.
ISBN: 978-0357045084
