Fear of Death: A Systemic Description

Abstract

The paper presents a systemic description of the fear of death incorporating the following five basic aspects of its study in psychology: anthropologic, gnoseological, axiological, praxeological and ontological. Content analysis of each aspect is built upon theoretical research. Thus, the anthropological aspect is reviewed through the prism of various studies on the differences in experiencing the fear of dying throughout the history of mankind and throughout an individual's life. The gnoseological aspect is revealed through the issues of bio¬logical and social determination of the fear of death realized in explorations of its conscious and subconscious components explored in psychology. The axiological aspect is considered through its orientation (internal and external) and content components reflecting the basic values of an individual that are either destroyed or created by the idea of death. The praxeological aspect represents ways of coping with the fear of death, including various defence mechanisms. The ontological aspect is regarded as the integral one depicting the role of the fear of death in human development and its contributions to the formation of personality.