The Literature Across Cultures on Death and Dying

devastation is wholeness of the fewer experiences shared by all humankind. In her groundbreaking book, Death and Dying, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross begins her book with a discussion of Western man's fear of dying and dying and by pointing out that this subject has become, for more individuals, a taboo. Kubler-Ross (1969) outlines five stages that terminally ill individuals experience through the serve well of dying: Denial (shock), Anger (Emotion), Bargaining, Depression (Preparatory), and Acceptance (Increased self-reliance). agreement this process was important to Kubler-Ross, in order to alleviate fear and fear of devastation both in the dying and those left over(p) behind. While Kubler-Ross' stage-process focused mainly on Western experiences and encompassed a Christian ethos, perceptions of death and dying vary significantly from one culture to the next.

While one or more or all of Kubler-Ross' stages may be relevant to other cultures, many cultures view death in a manner that frequently negates the anxiety and fear experience by many Westerners with watch to death and dying. In looking at other cultures, it becomes observable that the view of the aft(prenominal)life is often a significant reckon in how people deal with death and dying. For example, in the Buddhist tradition in Asia, Buddhist Lama Priests preside over a three-day vigil

Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York, NY: Macmillan.

Barker, D. (1999, Apr). Dying, death, and bereavement in a British Hindu community. Anthropology & Medicine, 6(1), 160-161.

Lama, W. (2004). Funeral rites of the Hindus and the Buddhists. Viewed on Jun 28, 2005: http://www.webheading/com/articles /lama. html, 1-4.

of the dead personate, while friends and relatives shorten oil, offer sacrifices, and pray with the Lamas.

Unlike the denial and anger experienced with Western death, Buddhists believe in holding such a vigil because of their belief that the deceased may return, "This vigil is very important for the Buddhists who believe that upon death the soul leaves the earthly be immediately but hovers around it for three days and that manytimes within this timeframe the soul may decide to reunite with the body causing an instance of miraculous resurrection" (Lama, 2004, p. 1). Because of this, the dying have some hope that death is not final and experience slight anxiety and fear during the process.

The ever-increasing ability of medical science and applied science to enable individuals to physically exist for extended periods of time has built American attitudes of denial. From hospices and living wills to advance directives, even Americans who accept death increasingly distance themselves from what they view as "routine" and "depersonalized" financial aid as they die (Kant and Kinney, 2001, p. 522). As a culture, we abhor develop and fight the ravages of time with an increasing arsenal of medical procedures and cosmetic products. We create retirement communities to extend individual control over aging through assisted living. We continue to carve a widespread national belief that crosses cultures and religions that somehow existence continues after death. Many believe in reincarnation, others hope for the possibility of freezing the dead body to be brought back to life, and others put their hopes in the future improvement of cloning.

Hindus believe i
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