Download e-book for kindle: Death, Grief, and Mourning by John S. Stephenson

How do americans deal with demise? Do our emotions approximately demise impact the way in which we are living? How are our rules of demise varied from these of our ancestors?

These questions and others are addressed during this leading edge new booklet -- a entire, interdisciplinary method of the strategies, practices, and reviews relating loss of life and demise within the usa. Drawing on sociology and psychology in addition to heritage and literature, John S. Stephenson surveys the diversity of person and social responses to demise -- from our very perception of its intending to the advanced moral dilemmas surrounding suicide and euthanasia.

Stephenson synthesizes a theoretical point of view of demise from the contributions of such vital thinkers as Freud, Jung, Ernest Becker, and Robert Jay Lifton. He reports the evolution of yank attitudes and behaviors towards demise -- from the Puritan period to the current, and charts the importance of such firms for the death as hospitals, hospices, and nursing houses. Bereavement as either own response (grief) and social conference (mourning) is additionally mentioned, as is the denial of demise as a coping mechanism for people and associations alike.

In his ultimate chapters, Stephenson analyzes the ceremonies of dying (including gravestones as social symptoms) and gives a psychosocial evaluation of suicide as a last, determined try to assert regulate. He concludes by means of exploring the results of euthanasia at a time whilst expertise can expand lifestyles dramatically yet isn't really consistently able to assuring its quality.

Throughout, actual case examples -- many drawn from Stephenson's personal scientific paintings -- illustrate the multi-faceted imagery and reports that contain the yank means of death.

Stephenson's publication could be welcomed by means of sociologists, psychologists, social staff, spiritual leaders, nurses, and others interested in taking care of the death and the bereaved. it's a terrific and assuredly written paintings that crosses disciplinary obstacles to supply a helpful synthesis of current wisdom and provide educators and execs an organization beginning for instructing, perform, and research.