In On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1997) maintains from a study of former cultures and people, ôàwe are impressed that death has always been distasteful to man and will probably always beö (16). Despite our attempts to contemplate death or to deal with it in a rational manner, it is an impossible goal to completely rid ourselves of our fear of death. Death remains a fearful and frightening reality for human beings, one that Ross (1997) argues is a ôuniversal fear even if we think we have mastered it on many levelsö (19). Because of the psychological trauma associated with death, both oneÆs own and the death of loved ones, Kubler-RossÆ studies have resulted in the distillation of a five-stage process of dealing with death and dying.
Kubler-RossÆ (1997) 5 stages of accepting death and dying include: 1) denial and isolation, 2) anger, 3) bargaining, 4) depression, 5) acceptance. The individual who must accept his or her impending death moves through these stages of acceptance, all of which may overlap. During the first stage of the process, denial and isolation, the individual refuses to believe his or her death is inevitable. Shock, isolation and withdrawal, and other defense mechanisms are used to shield the psyche from the frightening and traumatic reality of death. In stage two, anger, the individual often experiences feelings of anger, rage, envy, and resentment. Thoughts like ôLife is unfairö and ôWhy did this happen to me?ö are common. As Kubler-Ross (1997) maintains: ôThe process of grief always includes some qualities of angerö (18).
Stage three of the process is known as bargaining. During the bargaining stage, the individual often tries to bargain his or her way out of the inevitable. This actually equates to an attempt to postpone death or to make a pact based on being rewarded for good behavior in life. An individual might bargain and ask God to let them live until their child gradu...