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Dying: A universal human experience?
1Department of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Journal of Religion and Health
|November 27, 2013
Summary
This study challenges the idea of a universal dying experience, comparing Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's stages with medieval texts. It reveals deeper moral and spiritual differences than apparent similarities suggest.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Thanatology
- Philosophy
Background:
- The popular theory by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross posits a universal psychological experience for dying individuals.
- This theory is widely accepted but lacks comprehensive historical and philosophical examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the universality of the dying experience proposed by Kübler-Ross.
- To compare Kübler-Ross's model with historical perspectives on death and dying.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of the Kübler-Ross model and the late medieval "Book of the Craft of Dying."
- Philosophical critique of the comparison's underlying assumptions.
- Examination of moral and spiritual dimensions in both models.
Main Results:
- Identified superficial similarities between the Kübler-Ross stages and medieval concepts of dying.
- Uncovered significant divergences in moral and spiritual underpinnings.
- Demonstrated that the alleged universality of the dying experience is questionable.
Conclusions:
- The psychological experience of dying is not universally uniform.
- Historical and philosophical analyses reveal diverse approaches to death.
- Deeper moral and spiritual assumptions differentiate models of dying.
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