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The death system according to Robert Kastenbaum.

Charles A Corr1

  • 1Suncoast Hospice Institute, Clearwater, Florida.

Omega
|October 30, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Robert Kastenbaum's death system concept reveals how societies manage death. The American death system, with its functions and components, demonstrates a complex interplay of death acceptance and denial.

Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Thanatology
  • Cultural Anthropology

Background:

  • Conflicting views exist on whether American society denies or accepts death.
  • Robert Kastenbaum introduced the concept of the societal death system.
  • All cultures historically and presently possess death systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define and describe the death system in American society based on Kastenbaum's work.
  • To outline the seven functions and five components of the American death system.
  • To analyze the implications of Kastenbaum's death system concept for understanding societal attitudes toward death.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of Robert Kastenbaum's theories on the death system.
  • Examination of the functions and components of the American death system.

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  • Review of societal attitudes and practices related to death in America.

    • Main Results:

    • The American death system is characterized by specific functions and components that mediate societal interactions with death.
    • Kastenbaum's death system provides a framework for understanding how societies organize their relationship with death.
    • Evidence suggests contemporary American society simultaneously accepts and denies death.

    Conclusions:

    • Kastenbaum's death system concept offers a robust framework for analyzing societal structures surrounding death.
    • The assertion that America is solely a death-denying society is an oversimplification.
    • American society exhibits a dual approach, both accepting and denying death concurrently.