Denial/isolation - Is where the person denies that death is going to happen to them. Sometimes they believe "It can't happen to me" or "I'm too young to die". Denial is a common reaction to the idea of death. Denial is usually just a temporary reaction.
Anger - Anger occurs when the person realizes that they can no longer deny that death is going to take place. Anger occurs when the person begins to think "Why Me?" The person becomes angry because they feel helpless and a loss of control. When anger takes place the person becomes difficult to care for and to be around. In some cases the dying person begins to take there anger out on those around them because they realize the what they are losing, and those who symbolize life become great targets.
Bargaining - Bargaining occurs when the person starts to believe that death can somehow be postponed or delayed. The person begins to try to bargain most usually with God trying to develop a compromise to delay death. They will promise to do or not to do certain things in exchange for a little bit longer. In some cases the dying persons feels that there are certain things that need to be taken care of before the die, so they bargain for more time to finish them.
Depression - Depression occurs when the person comes to accept the idea that they cannot do anything to stop death from occurring. The person may become silent, refuse visitors, and spend much of the time crying or grieving. This stage is normal and is the person attempt to disconnect themselves from those that mean the most to them.
Acceptance - Acceptance occurs after the person work through the conflicts and feelings of death. The person develops a sense of peace and acceptance that death inevitable. Most believe that this stage occurs in the final period before death when the person becomes tired and weak. The person normally becomes calm and all fear is gone.
Some people will struggle with death until the end. They are never able to experience a sense of acceptance. Some believe that people fight death the harder time they will have dying peacefully.
People finding meaning and purpose in their lives is linked to how they approach death. A study showed that those who reported finding purpose and meaning in life were experience the least amount of despair in the final weeks of their death. Also, those who had found no reason for living where the most distressed about dying.
My Opinion:
I think that these stages of death are more present in those dying at a younger age. In a lot of cases older adults know that their deaths are inevitable and are accepting to the idea of death. However those that are younger and diagnosed with terminal illnesses are those that struggle the most with the stages of death. It is important for their loved ones to be there for them and to help them through the stages. However, it is hard for loved ones to be completely there for the dying person because they themselves are struggling with the idea of loss.
What do you think?
Sources:
Gould, B. (n.d.). Five Stages of Dying. Old Fashioned Living : cooking from scratch, hand made crafts, old fashioned ideas, traditions, simple life, and more:. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://oldfashionedliving.com/dying.html
Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life-Span Development (12 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
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