Chapter 12: Aging, Death, Dying and Bereavement - PSY 110 - Lifespan Development - Textbook - LibGuides at Hostos Community College Library

Aging

Aging
This module describes central concepts and research about adult development and aging. We consider contemporary questions about cognitive aging and changes in personality, self-related beliefs, social relationships, and subjective well-being. These four aspects of psychosocial aging are related to health and longevity.

Why It Matters- Death and Dying
In this module, we will look at death and dying, grief and bereavement, palliative care, and hospice to better understand these last stages of life.

Here are the videos included in the Word document readings:

Click the image to watch The #1 reason people die early, in each country. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Is a Brain Dead Person Actually Dead?. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Perspectives on Death: Crash Course Philosophy #17. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Social Attitudes Towards Death. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch The Truth About the Five Stages of Grief. A new window will open.

The Process of Dying
One way to understand death and dying is to look more closely at physical death, psychological death, and social death. These deaths do not occur simultaneously. Rather, a person’s physiological, social, and psychic death can occur at different times (Pattison, 1977).

Five Stages of Loss
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross describes five stages of loss experienced by someone who faces the news of their impending death. These “stages” are not really stages that a person goes through in order or only once; nor are they stages that occur with the same intensity. Indeed, the process of death is influenced by a person’s life experiences, the timing of their death in relation to life events, the predictability of their death based on health or illness, their belief system, and their assessment of the quality of their own life. Nevertheless, these stages help us to understand and recognize some of what a dying person experiences psychologically.

Palliative Care and Hospice
Kubler-Ross’s work was introduced at a period in which the hospice movement began in the United States. This movement focused attention on caring for the dying. Palliative care focuses on providing comfort and relief from physical and emotional pain to patients throughout their illness even while being treated (NIH, 2007). Palliative care is part of hospice programs. Hospice involves caring for dying patients by helping them be as free from pain as possible, providing them with assistance to complete wills and other arrangements for their survivors, giving them social support through the psychological stages of loss, and helping family members cope with the dying process, grief, and bereavement.

Bereavement and Grief
Bereavement refers to outward expressions of grief. Mourning and funeral rites are expressions of loss that reflect personal and cultural beliefs about the meaning of death and the afterlife. When asked what type of funeral they would like to have, students responded in a variety of ways; each expressing both their personal beliefs and values and those of their culture.

CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously

Aging. Provided by: NOBA. Located at: http://noba.to/gtp7r548. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Lifespan Development. Provided by: Lumen Learning. Located at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-lifespandevelopment/. License: CC BY 4.0 except where otherwise noted.
The Corpses That Changed My Life. By: Caitlin Doughty. Provided by: TEDx. Located at: https://youtu.be/OKIyDMaxh4w. License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Beyond Closure. By: Nancy Berns. Provided by: TEDx. Located at: https://youtu.be/w0rCfXSdYPE. License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

The 1 reason people die early, in each country. Provided by: Vox. Located at: https://youtu.be/aQO_oexCm5s. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Is A Brain Dead Person Actually Dead?. Provided by: Seeker. Located at: https://youtu.be/cFVL4AQO2hM. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Perspectives on Death: Crash Course Philosophy #17. Provided by: CrashCourse. Located at: https://youtu.be/mjQwedC1WzI. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Social Attitudes Towards Death. Provided by: Michelle Corrone. Located at: https://youtu.be/Q4DJgHflXZw. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
The Truth About the Five Stages of Grief. Provided by: SciShow. Located at: https://youtu.be/9LudhllbeXs. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License