Dying and its Interpreters: A Review of Selected Literature and Some Comments on the State of the Field

Abstract

What have been the major theoretical approaches that have been useful in the study of dying to date? What theoretical approaches hold promise for the future? Selected literature on dying and coping with dying is reviewed in an effort to describe the present state of our knowledge in this field and to contribute to an overall theory of dying. Three central topics are 1) awareness of and communication about dying; 2) processes of illness; and 3) coping with dying. Reflections are offered on the kinds[s] of theory that might be desirable in this field, together with a number of lessons that can be drawn from the existing literature. A continued exploration of the ways that theoretical perspectives from psychology and sociology such as developmental theory, Symbolic lnteractionism, or Reconstructism can lead to greater understanding of the dying process.