Life experience with death: Relation to death attitudes and to the use of death-related memories

Death Studies

Volumn 32, Issue 6, 2008, Pages 524-549

  Bluck, Susan ^a,c   Dirk, Judith ^b   Mackay, Michael M ^a   Hux, Ashley ^a  

^a University of Florida ^*  (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA   (Switzerland)

^c UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR; ADULT; AGED; ANXIETY; ARTICLE; ATTITUDE TO DEATH; FEAR; FEMALE; HOSPICE; HUMAN; LIFE EVENT; MALE; MEMORY; MIDDLE AGED; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; QUESTIONNAIRE;

ADAPTATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL; ADULT; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; ANXIETY; ATTITUDE TO DEATH; FEAR; FEMALE; HOSPICES; HUMANS; LIFE CHANGE EVENTS; MALE; MEMORY; MIDDLE AGED; QUESTIONNAIRES;

EID: 46349102308     PISSN: 07481187     EISSN: 10917683     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/07481180802138860     Document Type: Article

References (73)

1. Amenta, M. M. (1984). Death anxiety, purpose in life and duration of service in hospice volunteers. Psychological Reports, 54, 979-984.
2. Ardelt, M. (2003). Effects of religion and purpose in life on elders' subjective well-being and attitudes toward death. Journal of Religious Gerontology, 14, 55-77.
3. Baddeley, A. (1988). But what the hell is it for? In M. M. Gruneberg, P. E. Morris, & R. N. Sykes (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory: Current research and issues (pp. 3-18). Chichester, England: Wiley.
4. Berntsen, D. (1998). Voluntary and involuntary access to autobiographical memory. Memory, 6, 113-141.
5. Bluck, S. (2003). Autobiographical memory: Exploring its functions in everyday life. Memory, 11, 113-123.
6. Bluck, S. & Alea, N. (2002). Exploring the functions of autobiographical memory: Why do I remember the autumn? In J. D. Webster & B. K. Haight (Eds.), Critical advances in reminiscence work: From theory to application (pp. 61-75). New York: Springer.
7. Bluck, S., Alea, N., Habermas, T., & Rubin, D. C. (2005). A TALE of three functions: The self-reported uses of autobiographical memory. Social Cognition, 23, 91-117.
8. Bluck, S. & Habermas, T. (2001). Extending the study of autobiographical memory: Thinking back about life across the life span. Review of General Psychology, 5, 135-147.
9. Bluck, S. & Levine, L. J. (1998). Reminiscence as autobiographical memory: Acatalyst for reminiscence theory development. Ageing and Society, 18, 185-208.
10. Brazil, K. & Thomas, D. (1995). The role of volunteers in a hospital-based palliative care service. Journal of Palliative Care, 11, 40-42.
11. Callanan, K. & Kelly, P. (1992). Final gifts: Understanding the special awareness, needs, and communications of the dying. New York: Poseidon.
12. Carr, M. & Merriman, M. P. (1995). Comparison of death attitudes among hospice workers and health care professionals in other settings. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 32, 287-301.
13. Chng, C. L. & Ramsey, M. K. (1984). Volunteers and the care of the terminal patient. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 15, 237-244.
14. Cicirelli, V. G. (2002). Older adults' views on death. New York: Springer.
15. Claxton-Oldfield, S., Jefferies, J., Fawcett, C., Wasylkiw, L., & Claxton-Oldfield, J. (2004). Palliative care volunteers: Why do they do it? Journal of Palliative Care, 20, 78-84.
16. Conway, M. A. & Pleydell-Pearce, C. W. (2000). The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system. Psychological Review, 107, 261-288.
17. Dattel, A. R. & Neimeyer, R. A. (1990). Sex differences in death anxiety: Testing the emotional expressiveness hypothesis. Death Studies, 14, 1-11.
18. Denes-Raj, V. & Ehrlichman, H. (1991). Effects of premature parental death on subjective life expectancy, death anxiety, and health behavior. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 23, 309-321.
19. Dickinson, G. E. (1992). First childhood death experiences. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 25, 169-182.
20. Durlak, J. A. & Riesenberg, L. A. (1991). The impact of death education. Death Studies, 15, 39-58.
21. Edmonds, S. & Hooker, K. (1992). Perceived changes in life meaning following bereavement. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 25, 307-318.
22. Florian, V. & Mikulincer, M. (1997). Fear of personal death in adulthood: The impact of early and recent losses. Death Studies, 21, 1-24.
23. Franke, K. J. & Durlak, J. A. (1990). Impact of life factors upon attitudes toward death. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 21, 41-49.
24. Freud, S. (1917). Mourning and melancholia. Standard edition of the complete works of Sigmund Freud (ol. 14). London: Hogarth.
25. Gross, J. J. (1999). Emotion regulation: Past, present, future. Cognition and Emotion, 13, 551-573.
26. Hayslip, B. & Walling, M. L. (1985). Impact of hospice volunteer training on death anxiety and locus of control. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 16, 243-254.
27. Hospice Foundation of America. (n.d.). Be a hospice volunteer. Retrieved October, 2006, from http://www.hospicefoundation.org/hospiceInfo/ volunteer.asp
28. Huberty, C. J. & Morris, J. D. (1989). Mulitivariate analysis versus multiple univariate analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 105, 302-308.
29. Hulbert, N. J. (2006). A preliminary study into stress in palliative care: Optimism, self-efficacy and social support. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 11, 246-254.
30. Irwin, H. J. & Melbin-Helberg, E. B. (1992). Enhancement of death acceptance by a grief counseling course. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 25, 73-86.
31. Kastenbaum, R. J. (2004). Death, society, and human experience (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
32. Keidel, G. C. (2002). Burnout and compassion fatigue among hospice caregivers. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 19, 200-205.
33. Kelly, M. N. & Corriveau, D. P. (1995). The Corriveau-Kelly Death Anxiety Scale. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 31, 311-315.
34. Keppel, G. (1982). Design and analysis: A researcher's handbook (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
35. Kinnier, R. T., Tribbensee, N. E., & Rose, C. A. (2001). In the final analysis: More wisdom from people who have faced death. Journal of Counseling & Development, 79, 171-177.
36. Knight, K. H. & Elfenbein, M. H. (1993). Relationship of death education to the anxiety, fear, and meaning associated with death. Death Studies, 17, 411-425.
37. Kübler-Ross, E. (1975). Death: The final stage of growth. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
38. Lafer, B. (1989). Predicting performance and persistence in hospice volunteers. Psychological Reports, 65, 467-472.
39. Lehman, D. R., Davis, C. G., Delongis, A., Wortman, C. B., Bluck, S., Mandel, D. et al. (1993). Positive and negative life changes following bereavement and their relations to adjustment. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 12, 90-112.
40. Levine, B., Svoboda, E., Hay, J., Winocur, G., & Moscovitch, M. (2002). Aging and autobiographical memory: Dissociating episodic from semantic retrieval. Psychology and Aging, 17, 677-689.
41. Maglio, C. J. & Robinson, S. E. (1994). The effects of death education on death anxiety: A meta-analysis. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 29, 319-335.
42. Marwit, S. J. & Klass, D. (1995). Grief and the role of the inner representation of the deceased. Omega, 30, 283-298.
43. McAdams, D. P. (1998). The role of defense in the life story. Journal of Personality, 66, 1125-1146.
44. McMordie, W. R. (1979). Improving measurement of death anxiety. Psychological Reports, 44, 975-980.
45. Meshot, C. M. & Leitner, L. M. (1994). Death threat, parental loss, and interpersonal style: A personal construct investigation. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application (pp. 181-191). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
46. National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. (2004). NHPCO facts and figures. Retrieved September 19, 2006 from http://www.nhpco.org.
47. Neimeyer, R. A. (1994). The threat index and related methods. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application (pp. 61-101). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
48. Neimeyer, R. A. (2001). Reauthoring life narratives: Grief therapy as meaning reconstruction. Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 38, 171-183.
49. Neimeyer, R. A. & Dingemans, P. M. (1980). Death orientation in the suicide intervention worker. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 11, 15-23.
50. Neimeyer, R. A. & Hogan, N. S. (2001). Quantitative or qualitative? Measurement issues in the study of grief. In M. S. Stroebe, R. O. Hansson, W. Stroebe, & H. Schut (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care (pp. 89-118). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
51. Neimeyer, R. A. & Levitt, H. (2001). Coping and coherence: A narrative perspective on resilience. In S. Snyder (Ed.), Coping with stress: Effective people and processes (pp. 47-67). New York: Oxford University Press.
52. Neimeyer, R. A., Moser, R. P., & Wittkowski, J. (2003). Assessing attitudes toward dying and death: Psychometric considerations. Omega, 47, 45-76.
53. Neimeyer, R. A. & Van Brunt, D. (1995). Death anxiety. In H. Wass & R. A. Neimeyer (Eds.), Dying: Facing the facts (3rd ed., pp. 49-88). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
54. Neisser, U. (1978). Memory: What are the important questions? In M. M. Gruneberg, P. I. Morris, & R. N. Sykes (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory (pp. 3-19). London: Academic Press.
55. Paradis, L. F. & Usui, W. M. (1987). Hospice volunteers: The impact of personality characteristics on retention and job performance. Hospice Journal, 3, 3-30.
56. Park, C. L., Cohen, L. H., & Murch, R. L. (1996). Assessment and prediction of stress-related growth. Journal of Personality, 64, 71-105.
57. Pillemer, D. B. (1992). Remembering personal circumstances: A functional analysis. In E. Winograd & U. Neisser (Eds.), Affect and accuracy in recall: Studies of "flashbulb" memories (pp. 236-264). New York: Cambridge University Press.
58. Pillemer, D. B. (1998) Momentous events: Vivid memories. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
59. Pratt, M. W., Norris, J. E., Arnold, M. L., & Filyer, R. (1999). Generativity and moral development as predictors of value-socialization narratives for young persons across the adult life span: From lessons learned to stories shared. Psychology and Aging, 3, 414-426.
60. Robbins, R. A. (1992). Death competency: A study of hospice volunteers. Death Studies, 16, 557-569.
61. Robbins, R. A. (1994). Death competency: Bugen's coping with death scale and death self-efficacy. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application (pp. 149-165). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
62. Silverman, P. R. & Klass, D. (1996). Introduction: What's the problem? In D. Klass, P. R. Silverman, & S. L. Nichman (Eds.), Continuing bonds (pp. 3-23). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
63. Singer, J. A. & Bluck, S. (2001). New perspectives on autobiographical memory: The integration of narrative processing and autobiographical reasoning. Review of General Psychology, 5, 91-99.
64. Tedeschi, R. G. & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 1-18.
65. Thorson, J. A. & Powell, F. C. (1994). A revised death anxiety scale. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application (pp. 31-43). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
66. Thorson, J. A. & Powell, F. C. (2000). Death anxiety in younger and older adults. In A. Tomer (Ed.), Death attitudes and the older adult: Theories, concepts, and applications (pp. 123-136). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
67. Tomer, A., Eliason, G., & Smith, J. (2000). The structure of the revised death anxiety scale in young and old adults. In A. Tomer (Ed), Death attitudes and the older adult: Theories, concepts, and applications (pp. 109-122). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
68. Vachon, M. L. S. (1995). Staff stress in hospice/palliative care: A review. Palliative Medicine, 9, 91-122.
69. Viswanathan, R. (1996). Death anxiety, locus of control, and purpose in life of physicians: Their relationship to patient death notification. Psychosomatics: Journal of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, 37, 339-345.
70. Webster, J. D. (1993). Construction and validation of the Reminiscence Functions Scale. Journals of Gerontology, 48, 256-262.
71. Wilson, A. E. & Ross, M. (2003). The identity function of autobiographical memory: Time is on our side. Memory, 11, 137-150.
72. Wong, P. T., Reker, G. T., & Gesser, G. (1994). Death Attitude Profile - Revised: A multidimensional measure of attitudes toward death. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application (pp. 121-148). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.
73. Wong, P. T. & Watt, L. M. (1991). What types of reminiscence are associated with successful aging? Psychology and Aging, 6, 272-279.