Chapter 4 "Reactions to Death" Summary and Analysis

Chapter 4 concludes the first of three major divisions within the text—Part I - Nearing Death Awareness: Introduction and Background. Chapter 4 is the longest chapter in the text and is further divided into numerous parts or segments. After presenting a lengthy non-biographical discussion of societal and personal reactions to death and dying, the chapter presents numerous biographical sketches of individual patients dealing with impending death. Death, particularly after a long struggle, elicits strong emotion. The most common include shock, disbelief, fear, anger, and sadness. Frequently, a shifting blend of all these emotions is typical. Because the process of dying has been largely institutionalized in the United States, many individuals are uneasy about how to interact with those who are dying. The hospice movement is gradually reversing this situation.

The chapter presents a...