Social Change in the Salience of Death among Adults in America: A Projective Assessment

Abstract

The relationship between the salience of death and decade, sex, age, and education is explored through a nationally representative, random sample of 1,428 respondents in 1957 and 1976. A thematic apperceptive procedure is utilized and stories are coded for reference to death. An attempt is made to validate the death variable with selected variables from a research questionnaire. A significant historical increase in concerns about death is found, although the change is strongest among women and the young. Implications for psychological research both current and past are discussed.