The Five Stages Of Death And Dying
The Five Stages of Death and Dying
Michelle Reynolds
California State University Channel Island
NRS 441 Health Communication
November 17, 2012 The Five Stages of Death and Dying
“People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” This is a quote from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross author of On Death and Dying, a book composed from numerous one-on-one interviews with terminally ill patients and their families. The goal of this particular body of work is to stress to the reader the importance of not just ignoring and isolating a dying patient but to instead, work on truly understanding what they may be going through while they emotionally, and physically prepare for their final departure. To help one in this task, Kübler-Ross emphasizes five stage of death and dying: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.
In is the first stage of denial almost always, the initial reaction to a patient finding out they have a terminal illness is, “This most be a mistake.” Kübler-Ross sees this type of denial functioning as a “buffer after unexpected shocking news, allows the patient to collect himself and, with time, mobilizes other, less radical defenses” (Kübler-Ross, 1969). Although, there is some function in the stage of denial, it does come in varying degrees, if extreme it can become counterproductive. An example that Kübler-Ross uses in her book is a terminally ill patient who has convinced herself she was cured by a faith healer. Due to this, the patient became difficult to manage by the hospital staff and family and was eventually isolated. Kübler-Ross explains that the best way to approach this type of situation is with non-judgment, acceptance and companionship. It is not always necessary to talk about the terminal aspects of the illness, if the patient cannot accept it. In this particular case “The
Michelle Reynolds
California State University Channel Island
NRS 441 Health Communication
November 17, 2012 The Five Stages of Death and Dying
“People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” This is a quote from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross author of On Death and Dying, a book composed from numerous one-on-one interviews with terminally ill patients and their families. The goal of this particular body of work is to stress to the reader the importance of not just ignoring and isolating a dying patient but to instead, work on truly understanding what they may be going through while they emotionally, and physically prepare for their final departure. To help one in this task, Kübler-Ross emphasizes five stage of death and dying: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.
In is the first stage of denial almost always, the initial reaction to a patient finding out they have a terminal illness is, “This most be a mistake.” Kübler-Ross sees this type of denial functioning as a “buffer after unexpected shocking news, allows the patient to collect himself and, with time, mobilizes other, less radical defenses” (Kübler-Ross, 1969). Although, there is some function in the stage of denial, it does come in varying degrees, if extreme it can become counterproductive. An example that Kübler-Ross uses in her book is a terminally ill patient who has convinced herself she was cured by a faith healer. Due to this, the patient became difficult to manage by the hospital staff and family and was eventually isolated. Kübler-Ross explains that the best way to approach this type of situation is with non-judgment, acceptance and companionship. It is not always necessary to talk about the terminal aspects of the illness, if the patient cannot accept it. In this particular case “The