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Understanding Death and Dying
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Understanding Death and Dying
Encountering Death, Dying, and the Afterlife



July 2020 | 472 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Understanding Death and Dying teaches students about death, dying, bereavement, and afterlife beliefs by asking them to apply this content to their lives and to the world around them. Students see differing cultural experiences discussed in context with key theories and research. The text’s pedagogy delivers relevant multi- and cross-cultural applications and connections across topics. This helps students evaluate their personal assumptions and appreciate how the content applies to their own current and future roles as individuals, family members, work colleagues, and as part of a community. The text simultaneously challenges learners to consider their own perspectives and to think critically about the parallels between their own lives and different cultures.


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offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. Learn more.
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Chapter 1: Attitudes Toward Death and Dying
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Understanding Attitude

 
 
Chapter 2: The Socialization of Death and Dying
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Death Socialization: Person and Environment Interaction

 
Death Socialization in Childhood

 
Death Socialization in Adolescence

 
Death Socialization in Adulthood

 
 
Chapter 3: Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Death and Dying
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
History of Death

 
Triarchical Environment of Developing Societies

 
Historical and Cultural Death and Dying Practices

 
 
Chapter 4: Death Systems
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
The Event of Death

 
Societal Systems that can Contribute to Death

 
Societal Systems that can Help Prevent Death

 
Systems that can Help Restore Society after a Death

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 5: Healthcare
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Death Prevention

 
Death Acceptance

 
Accepting Medical Help

 
Guidelines on What to Say to a Dying Person

 
 
Chapter 6: End-of-Life Decisions
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Medical Ethics in End-of-Life Decisions

 
End-of-Life Decisions Pertaining to Oneself

 
End-of-Life Decisions Pertaining to Loved Ones

 
End-of-Life Issues and Decisions in Another Culture

 
Factors Prompting End-of-Life Decisions

 
End-of-Life Decision Making by a Third Party

 
 
Chapter 7: Views and Treatment of Life-Threatening Diseases
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Life-Threatening Diseases: Overview

 
Life-Threatening Diseases: Trajectories

 
Living with a Life-Threatening Disease

 
Pain Management

 
 
Chapter 8: Death Rituals and Final Act on Dead Bodies
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Last Rites

 
Rituals

 
Death Rituals

 
Final Act on Dead Bodies

 
History of Death Practices in the United States

 
Modern Funeral Practice in the United States

 
Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule

 
Traditional Funeral

 
Military Funeral

 
Casket

 
Vault or Outer Burial Container

 
Outer Burial Liner

 
Professional Services by Funeral Homes

 
Modern Funeral Practice in Another Society

 
 
Chapter 9: The Experience of Loss
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Understanding a Loss

 
Theories and Models of Bereavement

 
The Experience of Loss: Direct and Indirect

 
Bereavement and Grief

 
Types of Loss Experiences: The Death of a Loved One

 
Multiple Loss Experiences

 
Grief: Normal Versus Complicated

 
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

 
 
Chapter 10: The Dying Experiences of Children and Adolescents
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Changes in Death Attitude Throughout Life

 
The Dying Experiences of Children

 
The Dying Experiences of Adolescents

 
Integrating Cultural Diversity

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 11: The Dying Experiences of Adults
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Adults' Understanding of Death

 
Death Anxiety in Adults

 
Death Anxiety Management

 
End-of-Life Conditions and Death Anxiety

 
Death Experiences in the Life of an Adult

 
Coping with a Loss

 
Positive Growth from a Loss

 
 
Chapter 12: Suicide
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Terminologies for Suicide Communication

 
Suicide as Cry for Help

 
Suicide as Escape from Self

 
Lifespan Developmental Model of Suicide

 
Cultural Factors in Suicide

 
Theories Explaining Suicide

 
Suicide across Different Age Groups

 
Suicide Prevention

 
 
Chapter 13: Death Caused by Accidents, Violence, and Trauma
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Deaths Caused by Accidents

 
Deaths Caused by Violence

 
Death Caused by Trauma

 
 
Chapter 14: Afterlife Beliefs
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Afterlife Beliefs

 
The History of Afterlife Beliefs in the United States

 
Afterlife Beliefs about Animals

 
The Human Predisposition to Believe in an Afterlife

 
Near-Death Experiences

 
Biopsychological Explanations for Near-Death Experiences

 
The Future of Afterlife Beliefs

 
 
Chapter 15: The Way Forward
Learning Objectives

 
Real Life

 
Embracing Life

 
Evaluating Personal and Social Choices

 
Social Choice by Incentives and Disincentives

 
Applicable Motivational Principles and Theories on Social Choice

 
Embracing Death

 
End-of-Life Decisions

 
Coexistence of Living and Dying Thoughts

 
Good Life and Good Death

 
Farewells

 
The Future of Death and Dying

 
 
Glossary
 
References

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
edge.sagepub.com/eyetsemitan

Online resources included with this text

The online resources for your text are available via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site, which offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.

“The text's benefits are the excellent discussion questions, the clarity of the text, and the real depth of consideration of psychological theory.”

Jan Charone-Sossin
Pace University

“I like that this text incorporates so many different perspectives and topics into each chapter. I imagine it would help meet my goals quite well.”

Melissa S. Atkins
Marshall University

“For the topics it addresses, this is the most useful and comprehensive guide I have seen for giving practical information about death and dying...”

Anna M Schwartz
Boston College