Death and Dying Chapter 2

According to Erickson psychosocial development depends significantly on the environment and is linked to the individual's a. relationship with others. b. genes. c. cognitive transformation. d. knowledge base.

A

Hispanic American funerals tend to a. have humor and storytelling about the deceased. b. be very serious. c. be silent with no humor allowed. d. discourage extended family.

A

Jean Piaget's model of development emphasizes a. cognitive transformations. b. separation-individuation. c. the need for developing a sense of basic trust. d. psychosocial development

A

irreversibility

A component of the mature concept of death that recognizes biological death as final and not reversible

recuerdo

A form of rememberance intended to memorialize the dead and comfort the living that is usually presented as a written narrative or ballad that tells the story of a person's life in an epic, lyrical, and heroic manner

society

A group of people who share a common culture, a common territory, and a common identity, and who interact in socially structured relationships

emerging adulthood

A period of human development associated with the late teens through the mid twenties when people in modern societies may no longer view themselves as adolescents but may not see themselves entirely as adults

Accommodation

A process where a new group adapts to the values or customs of a dominant social group by making adjustments that allow for the existing group's interests

assimilation

A process where the values or customs of a new group are incorporated by a dominant social group so that the values of the new group fit into the existing social network

symbolic interactionism

A social theory that emphasizes the freedom of individuals to construct their own reality as well as to potentially reconstruct what has been inherited by actively responding to the social structures and processes in their lives

nonempirical ideas about death

Ideas about death that are not observable and not subject to the confirmation as factual

psychosocial development

In Eriksonian theory, a model of human develpment that focuses on significant turning points, or crises, that require a response from the individual in the context of his or her relationships with the environment and other individuals

cognitive transformations

In Piagetian theory, the manner in which an individual's mode of understanding the world changes in sequential stages from infancy to adulthood, especially with respect to organizing and reasoning about ideas and experiences

tactical socialization

In the context of informal death education, strategies used to change individuals' perceptions and behaviors about some aspect of their social world

replaceability

In the context of socialization about how to cope with loss, the notion that grief can be minimized by quickly replacing, for example, a pet who has died with another pet without allowing the griever to take time to acknowledge the loss

teachable moments

Informal opportunities for learning that arise out of ordinary experiences and occur in an interactive and usually spontaneous process

Define and give an example of a "teachable moment" in a child's death education.

Informal opportunities for learning that arise out of ordinary experiences and occur in an interactive and usually spontaneous process. Class gerbil dies, teacher is able to talk to them about death now.

casuality

The component of the mature concept of death that recognizes that there are biological reasons for the occurence of death

ethnocentricism

The fallacy of making judgements about others solely in terms of one's own cultural assumptions and biases

social learning theory

The idea that individuals learn how to behave as members of a society through the process of conditioning that involves reinforcement of social norms by means of rewards and punishments

social construction of reality

The notion that every society constructs or shapes its own version of how the world works, as well as its truths or meanings including the meaning and place of death in people's lives

noncorporeal continuity

The notion that the human personality or soul survives in some form after the death of the physical body

socialization

The process of learning and internalizing the beliefs, values, rules, and norms of a society

religiosity

The relative importance of religion in a person's life as displayed through emotional ties and commitment to the religion, participation to its ceremonies, the degree to which it is integrated in the person's life, and knowledge about the religion and its traditions, beliefs, and practices

resocialization

The restructuring of basic attitudes, values, or identities that occurs when adults assume new roles that require a reevaluation of their existing values and modes of behavior

structural functionalism

The school of thought in which cultures are viewed as systems that can be analyzed in terms of the organic connection among their parts

personal morality

The understanding that not only do all living things die eventually, but that "I will die"

fantasy reasoning

The use of unrealistic examples or arguments to explain what causes death and what it means in biological and empirical terms

true or false: according to symbolic interactionism, learning about social norms occurs through imitation, modeling, and reinforcement

false

true or false: according to the text, as children get older they begin to understand that death is usually non-selective

false

true or false: ethnic traits, not cultural factors, have an impact of methods of coping

false

true or false: following the assassination of President Kennedy, older children were more concerned than younger children about the appearance of the president's body

false

true or false: only in the 20th and 21st centuries have adults sung lullabies to children

false

true or false: when questioned about the ways people die, children in violent environments tend to answer similarly to those children whose lives are sheltered from such experiences and environments

false

Which one of the theories on perspectives on understanding society emphasizes the freedom of individuals to construct their own reality as well as to potentially reconstruct that which is inherited?

symbolic interactionism:A social theory that emphasizes the freedom of individuals to construct their own reality as well as to potentially reconstruct what has been inherited by actively responding to the social structures and processes in their lives.

true or false: according to social learning theory, people earn how to behave as member of a society through conditioning

true

true or false: according to sociologist Goffman, socialization is like "being on stage and performing"

true

true or false: an example of the term "resocialization" is the starting of a new job

true

true or false: dramaturgy is the study of social interaction comparing everyday life to a theatrical presentation

true

true or false: sociologist Charles Cooley's theory of how we begin to understand a culture's values and norms is known as the "looking glass self"?

true

true or false: the social constructionist orientation focuses on the process by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live

true

culture

Everything in human society that is socially rather than biologically transmitted; the ways of thinking, feeling and acting, the ways of a given group of people

magical thinking

1. The notion that one's angry thoughts or feelings can cause harm or even death to others 2. The notion that one is responsible for bringing an illness on oneself even though there is no evidence for making this assumption

Approximately what percentage of two hundred children's nursery rhymes examined in one study deal with ways in humans and animals die or are mistreated? What are some of these themes?

50%

universality

All living things eventually die

nonfunctionality

An understanding of death as involving the cessation of all physiological functioning or signs of life

mature concept of death

An understanding of death that includes recognition of the observable facts about death--universality, non functionality, irreversibility, and casualty, as well as an understanding of personal mortality.

existential dread

Anxiety or fear related to the ultimate prospect of one's own death

social structure

Aspects of a society's institutional structure that influence social life by helping make it orderly and predictable

In Erickson's model, approximately what age marks the beginning of the child's moral sense? a. birth-2 years b. preschool and kindergarten years c. middle childhood or school age d. adolescent

B

What is the name of the Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood? a. Feng-shui b. Lon Po Po c. Kung Hei Fat Coy d. Koi Lai Mai

B

In a study of nursery rhymes, approximately what percentage dealt with death or mistreatment? a. 10 percent b. 25 percent c. 50 percent d. 75 percent

C

Which theorist is associated with the developmental model that emphasizes changes in attitudes toward death during different psychosocial stages? a. Mark Speece b. Erik Erikson c. Jean Piaget d. Sigmund Freud

C

According to the text, approximately what percentage of Americans are affiliated with a religious tradition? a. 60 percent b. 33 percent c. 50 percent d. 90 percent

D

Which one of the following is not included in the five major institutions delineated by sociologists? a.religion b.family c.economy d.peers

D

Discuss the impact of children's traditional English literature on the development of children's attitudes toward death. How would this differ from, example, Chinese children in the People's Republic of China, especially illustrated in the "Fairy Tale of Little Red Riding Hood"?

Death has often had a place in children's literature. American children found death was presented as tragic but inevitable, and many of the death-related stories conveyed a moral lesson. In the 19th century, the violence in children's stories was usually graphic and gory to make a desired moral impression. In the traditional English version of Little Red, Little Red is eaten by a wolf but the woodsman slits its stomach open, allowing Red to emerge unharmed. In more recent versions, Red's screams alert the woodsman and he saves her. The killing of the wolf is done offscreen and is not mentioned. In the Chinese tale, three young children are left by themselves and end up killing the wolf together by climbing a tree, dropping a basket down, convincing the wolf to step into a basket to come up to them, then dropping the basket from a tall height to kill them. The Chinese version emphasizes the value of being a part of a group.

parental messages

Direct or indirect communications from parents to children about what death is and how to behave appropriately toward it

What are 5 major social institutions as defined by sociologists? Which one, do you think, would more likely shape one's attitude toward death and dying? Explain your response.

Economy, Educational system, political system, religion, family

What does the lullabye, "Rockabye Baby Illustrate"?

Rockabye Baby is an example of how many lullabyes contain death of animals and humans. There are many theories of its origin, one of which is that many Protestant people are trying to kill the Catholic heir of England.

social norms

Rules and guidelines that prescribe what a given society considers to be appropriate behavior in a particular situation

Define socialization. How important are the influences of sociocultural forces? How do these forces help shape what the text labels, "A Mature Concept of Death"? What, exactly, is a mature concept of death?

Socialization: the process of learning and internalizing the beliefs, values, rules, and norms of a society. Mature concept of death: Universality, Irreversibility, Nonfunctionality, Causality.

Discuss how some Hispanic American funerals differ from those of the dominant culture.

a. Caregivers of the dying relative are most often female, and they rarely seek formal assistance for their stress; nursing homes are resisted b. Hispanic-Americans find value in being present at death c. Mourning practices include an open expression of grief, but this typically differs by gender (Latino men are expected to be strong for the family and usually do not grieve openly) d. Some after-death rituals are like those of the dominant culture (requiem mass, procession), others have religious roots (novena); others are specifically Hispanic (Day of the Dead) e. Hispanic-Americans mourning reflects belief in the continuing relationship between the survivors and the deceased