Analysis of Attitudes towards Death and Dying
Death is an inevitable process that has to come with aging. As a person ages, they become more aware of this universal truth that he has to leave this world, and nothing would remain of him. He starts taking life from a different perspective and thinks of ways how he could be of benefit to others who he leaves behind. Some of the older people start thinking about their will, and some start preparing themselves for death if they are sick. This paper aims to reflect upon a person's ideas about grief, bereavement, and mourning from a psychological perspective and the difference of death anxiety with age and gender. In further sections, cultural and religious thoughts and their impact on a person's attitudes towards life would be discussed.
Difference between Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning in Psychological Terms
From a psychological perspective, bereavement refers to facing the sad incident of losing someone close (Shear, 2012). Grief is the response of a person's psychological experiences after losing that someone close in the form of sadness, yearning, and memories of the lost one. Mourning is a set of psychological processes that occur in response to grief to counter the gloomy thoughts, and reorientation to the real world could be settled.
There is a strong relationship between the person who lost his loved one and the person who died. The grief becomes more intense based on the strength of the reaction. Various studies have revealed that grief is the most intense during a child's loss for a parent or when a life partner is gone. There is also a risk of depression and anxiety involved in those who bereave. It is a common conception that such grief is normal since a parent or anyone who has lost a close one experiences bereavement for a certain time, for instance, a year. Then he or she manages to adjust to the usual routine of daily lives and the environment. However, if the bereavement symptoms persist, the bereaving person can fall ill or fall victim to mental disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, or major depression.
As mentioned earlier, grief is the psychological response to bereavement when the brain starts playing previous memories and thoughts related to the deceased one. The yearning relative finds the inner world of thoughts and sadness more indulging than the outer world's activities; therefore, he keeps himself engrossed...
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