User:Samir Hossain
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[edit] Philosophy of Death and Adjustment
Philosophy of death and adjustment is an area of inquiry of increasing interest as the human experience of the world is rapidly being affected by evolving world events. Over the course of human history, our view of death has changed. And with the advent of globalisation, philosophies will become more inclusive of varying views.
[edit] Western concepts
Philippe Aries, the French medievalist and historian of the family and childhood, has chronicled attitudes towards death from the Middle Ages to the 20th century into five basic attidues that are correlated with historical periods. Death was considered a period of sleep until the event of the second coming of Christ provided a peaceful afterlife for the first millenium. In the 12th century the idea of death became associated with an ordeal and therefore was more anxiety provoking when the idea of an painful afterlife was stressed as a possibility. During the 16th centery, death was considered a natural event, but nonetheless frightening. By the 19th century death was associated with a return to nature and an afterlife was not a focus. Today, death is an event to be postponed.[1]
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross researched the subject of death and dying and found the dying person typically experienced a progression toward an adjustment to and an acceptance of death. She described five stages through which a dying person moves toward acceptance step by step. They consisted of a stage of denial, then anger. Next the dying person would attempt to bargin with the higer powers. This would be followed by a period of depression until the reality of impending death was accepted with realive peace.[2]
As psychology has become more researched based, data is being gathered on attitudes. For example, a recent study conducted in Budapest, Hungary assessed physicians' attitudes toward dying patients by questionaire. According to the results, physicians have a very little knowledge of death and dying and have negative attitudes toward dying people. The sudy concluded that this, combined with their own fear of death, can negatively influence their relationships with dying patients and they may avoid dealing with the questions worrying dying people.[3]
Another study focused on the cultural impact of ethnicity on attitudes toward death and dying by comparing African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans with a comparison group of Caucasians. They compared their findings to those from Kalish's and Reynolds's 1970's Death and Ethnicity Study, now considered a landmark, and found a shift in focus to more personal issues.[4]
[edit] Non western concepts
Recent world events bring up vividly the question of differing views of death in different parts of the world and different non western groups.[5] Most Westerners have difficulty comprehending alternative views of other religions and philosophies. Analysis concentrates on the philosophies of terrorist groups and little interst is shown in the philosophies of average non western individuals.[6]
More specific research using non western subjects and their philosophy of death and adjustment was conducted by Mohammad Samir Hossain, a teacher of Psychiatry from Bangladesh. He worked on the variations of the possible impacts, such as the adjustment of the phenomenon of death (as a future, unpredictable but inevitable event for any average person) taking into account the differences in religiosity in the Muslims of Bangladesh. Interestingly the stages described by Kubler-Ross were arranged somewhat in reverse sequence. This held true too for the changing philosophy toward death over time described by Philippe Aries. Dr. Hossain integrated the two western concepts with his research by demonstrating that a philosophy of death is more flexible when death is seen as a significant event, but not the absolute end, when there is a belief in an afterlife.[7]
A recent study of attitudes toward death and dying in Chinese-Americans living in New York City found many Chinese attitudes and practices embedded in Asian cultural values about family life combined with aspects of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and local folklore.[8]
[edit] Implications
Philosophies of death and dying can impact treatment of dying patients and decisions about euthenasia.[9] It can also affect an individuals adjustment to the death process as well as to the threat of death in dangerous situations, as the study in Bangladesh indicates.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Aries, Philippe (1965). Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life. New York: Vintage. ISBN 0394702867.
- ^ Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth (Reprint edition (June 9, 1997)). On Death and Dying, Reprint, New York: Scribner. ISBN 0684839385.
- ^ Physicians' attitudes toward death and dying. PublMed. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
- ^ Cultural Changes in Attitudes Toward Death, Dying, and Bereavement. Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
- ^ Bloody Ashura. National Review. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
- ^ Manifestations of Evil and Death. Militant Islam Monitor. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
- ^ Samir Hossain, Mohammad. "Concept of Death Can Influence Mental Health - A Research Finding In Bangladesh." EzineArticles 06 March 2007. 25 March 2007, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Concept-of-Death-Can-Influence-Mental-Health---A-Research-Finding-In-Bangladesh&id=478743
- ^ Chinese cultural dimensions of death, dying, and bereavement: focus group findings. Journal of Cultural Diversity. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
- ^ Management of death, dying and euthanasia: attitudes and practices of medical practitioners in South Australia. Journal of Medical Ethics. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
[edit] References
Ariès, Philippe. Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life, Vintage (1965). ISBN 0394702867
[edit] External links
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