Argumentative Essay On Death Anxiety

Death Anxiety (Thanatophobia) is the fear, uncertainty, or dread elicited by the idea of death or dying. The mental anguish is either internalized into fear of one’s own safety or concern over the safety of loved ones. Fear of death and death anxiety are used interchangeably throughout this essay because thanatophobia can be both the concern over perceived ideas of death or danger (anxiety) and actual threats (i.e., accidents, the death of kin, or personal near death experiences) that prompt a sense of danger (fear). Theorists and researchers alike have attempted to explain this phenomenon and discovered contributing factors that put an individual at high risk of developing death anxiety. Adolescents, adults, and the elderly experience death anxiety differently, resulting from changing perceptions throughout their lifespan and development. Treatment for thanatophobia is both available and successful when properly assessed.

Death Anxiety Theories and Arguments

Death anxiety is present in mild amounts amongst the general public. The uneasiness felt by people considering their own mortality is not abnormal by itself. Thanatophobia becomes a clinical issue only once the anxiety begins to negatively influence everyday functioning and wellbeing. Input on the topic of life satisfaction and death anxiety exist varying from

Death anxiety is lowest in the elderly, although they are biologically closest to death. Death in senior communities is normalized and anticipated, reducing discomfort associated with uncertainty. Aging adults have come to accept their inevitable fate. Anxiety experienced at this developmental stage is characteristic of generalized anxiety but is often mistaken for death anxiety by caregivers and adult children. Death anxiety in the elderly is less concentrated around death itself and instead is focused on the death process. The elderly endure bouts of fear regarding long suffering before death or pain associated with death (Sinoff,