Fear Of Death Research Paper

Why do we fear of death

The fear of death and dying isn't uncommon. Most of us fear death to some degree. There is some evidence, however, that a "good death" is more difficult to achieve when death is feared -- an important reason to try to face the fear and perhaps overcome it.
Fear of death is so common that it has spurred multiple research projects and intrigued everyone from scholars to thanatologists to religious leaders around the world. Some interesting findings have emerged from studying the fear of death. For example, women have generally shown more fear of death than men, perhaps because women are more likely to admit to and discuss their fears.
There is conflicting research about fear of death in young people versus the elderly.
This fear is common in many healthy people and is seen often in patients dying of cancer or other painful diseases.
• Fear of the Unknown - death is the ultimate unknown--no one has survived it to tell us what happens afterward. It's in our human nature to want to understand and make sense of the world around us but death can never be fully understood while we are still alive.
• Fear of Non-Existence - many people fear that they will cease existing after death. This fear isn't confined only to the non-religious or atheists. Many people of faith worry that their belief in an afterlife isn't real after all.
• Fear of Eternal Punishment - again this belief isn't only for the most devout of faith. People from every religious sect and even those with no religion at all may fear that they will be punished for what they did - or did not do - here on earth.
• Fear of Loss of Control - our human nature seeks control over situations. Death is something that is out of our realm of control which is very scary for many of us. Some people will attempt hold some control over death with extremely careful behavior and rigorous health