PSY 456 Exam 1
Informal death education occurs in the context of _____ that arise out of events in daily life. - "teachable moments" - "subjective issues" - "speculative moments" - "ethical issues"
"teachable moments"
According to Ulrich Beck, a German scholar and observer of the "cosmopolitan society," the human condition in the present century - is too dependent on medical technology. - cannot be understood nationally or locally but only globally. - is too concerned about diversity and cultural awareness. - must engage in practical thanatology.
cannot be understood nationally or locally but only globally.
The distinctive _____ in a particular culture affects the behavior of its members as they go about their daily lives. - stance toward the bereaved - attitude toward immortality - stance toward death - attitude toward funeral rites
stance toward death
The images associated with the Danse Macabre display a concern with the stark features of mortality and _____. - relief surrounding death - acceptance of the peacefulness in death - fears of sudden, unexpected death - the dire injustice of death
fears of sudden, unexpected death
Death anxiety tends to be higher among _____.
females
In reviewing the status of research and practice in thanatology, Herman Feifel points out that the - fear of death is a monolithic variable. - human mind operates on various levels of reality or finite provinces of meaning. - human mind operates in an interdependent, not autonomous, manner. - conscious fear of death is unrelated to innate fears.
human mind operates on various levels of reality or finite provinces of meaning.
In the context of living with awareness of death, ultimately one cannot _____ death. - expose and explain - face or fear - encounter and expect - ignore or deny
ignore or deny
Identify a reason for the growing population of old people. - There is a rise in cases of euthanasia. - More number of young people are seeking medical help for terminal diseases. - There is an increase in the number of suicides among young people. - Most people are dying old from degenerative diseases due to the reduced risk of dying from young age infections.
Most people are dying old from degenerative diseases due to the reduced risk of dying from young age infections.
The modern scientific approach to the study of death is usually traced to a symposium organized in 1956 by - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. - Herman Feifel. - Jacques Choron. - Avery Weisman.
Herman Feifel.
__________ has the longest life expectancy of countries worldwide. - Hong Kong - United States - Switzerland - South Africa
Hong Kong
Which of the following BEST describes a "cosmopolitan" society? - Ideas and practices are forward thinking. - Ideas and practices from other historical periods and cultures are valued and examined. - Culture, identity, history, and language are guarded from change due to a strong sense of pride. - Cultural complexity of a globalizing world is rejected.
Ideas and practices from other historical periods and cultures are valued and examined.
Which of the following is NOT a way in which humor functions relative to death? - Raises consciousness - Encourages togetherness - Discourages empathy - Defuses anxiety
Discourages empathy
_____ are musical settings for poems commemorating a person's death. - Euphemisms - Elegies - Epitaphs - Eulogies
Elegies
True or false: As a field of study, thanatology deals only with death. - True - False
False
True or false: Humor can enhance the intensity of negative life events. - True - False
False
True or false: The entertainment media has often been accused of impoverishment of death symbolism because it rarely depicts death in any form. - True - False
False
Which of the following is NOT an example of the dimension of sociological thanatology? - Response to disaster - Pain and symptom control - Disposal of the dead - Socialization of children
Pain and symptom control
_____ is a way to appreciate the variety and range of attitudes toward dying and death. - Remarking on reports of death - Paying attention to the metaphors, euphemisms, and slang people use when talking about death - Attacking all euphemisms, slang, and metaphors used to describe death - Dismissing all references to death
Paying attention to the metaphors, euphemisms, and slang people use when talking about death
Identify the consequences of plain talk about death being subverted by substitutions. - Reality is reprimanded and rebelled against. - Reality is ignored and discarded. - Reality is recognized and sympathized. - Reality is devalued and depersonalized.
Reality is devalued and depersonalized.
Identify some of the categories of music recognized by Charles Reagen Wilson. (Check all that apply.) - Religious influences on death - The unfairness of death - Songs of birth and marriage - The pervasiveness of death - Violent and tragic death
Religious influences on death The pervasiveness of death Violent and tragic death
_____ states that human behavior is mostly motivated by an unconscious fear of mortality. - Stress management theory - Pain management theory - Terror management theory - Critical incident stress management
Terror management theory
According to Kastenbaum, what is defined as "the study of life with death left in"? - Clinical ethics - Anthropology - Thanatology - Death anxiety
Thanatology
What is the largest ongoing community arts project in America? - Operation Gold Star Flag - The AIDS Memorial Quilt - The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall - The Faith, Hope, Love Project
The AIDS Memorial Quilt
_____ has been described as the "Iconographic reversal of the Tomb of the Unknowns" with its "vast polished surface" serving as "the tombstone of the known." - The Hadrian Wall in England - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall - The Berlin Wall - The Wailing Wall of Jerusalem
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall
Media experts say that the "reality violence" on TV news began with coverage of the - Kennedy assassination. - explosion of the space shuttle. - Vietnam War. - Los Angeles riots.
Vietnam War
Which of the following is NOT an example of Holocaust literature? - Warsaw Diary by Chaim Kaplan - Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - Walking Skeleton by Richard Shaw - Night by Elie Wiesel
Walking Skeleton by Richard Shaw
One of the most arresting expressions of dying and death in graphic arts was found in the Danse Macabre in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, growing out of widespread fears _____. - of enemy attack from neighboring monarchies - about the spread of plague - about the threat of influenza - of natural disasters wrecking havoc on the kingdom
about the spread of plague
According to Neimeyer and his colleagues, people express less intense fear of dying and death when they _____. - are tied up with the routine complexities of life in their youth and middle-age - are less emotional control - shun religious practices of any kind - accept dying and the prospect of being dead one day as a natural part of their lives
accept dying and the prospect of being dead one day as a natural part of their lives
Themes of loss and death are heard in - classical music. - American blues music. - laments. - all of the above.
all of the above.
Elegies are emotional acknowledgments that _____, which is itself a profound spiritual understanding. - all things are impermanent - music is irrelevant - humans are immortal - life is static
all things are impermanent
In reviewing death anxiety research, Robert Kastenbaum says that it - allows individuals to enjoy the illusion that death has been studied. - gives individuals an adequate picture of how death is perceived by human beings. - is especially valuable in answering gender-related questions. - is especially useful in answering questions of practitioners working with patients and bereaved people.
allows individuals to enjoy the illusion that death has been studied.
A reporter has to exercise caution while deciding what is appropriate to report in stories on horrific deaths because _____. - people depend on the media not only for information about events but also clues about their meaning - it increases peoples' willingness to engage in risky behaviors - it affects the circulation of the newspaper and creates a negative impact among the readers - people view mortality as a gift
people depend on the media not only for information about events but also clues about their meaning
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall has names of the dead listed _____. - in the order of their military ranking - according to the brutality of their deaths - alphabetically in the order of their last names - chronologically by the date of their death
chronologically by the date of their death
The AIDS quilt symbolized individuals sharing their grief by sharing their continuing bonds with friends and lovers, and in doing so, the survivors become a _____. - clan of profit mongers - group of repressed individuals - community of mourners - group of fraudsters
community of mourners
According to Charles Reagan Wilson, _____ continue to embody the idea that death should not be segregated from the rest of life, but should be dealt with openly as a natural and profound human concern. - biographies - country songs - glam rock songs - euphemisms
country songs
Modern societies are in a period of _____ with respect to dying and death. - cultural lag - technological saturation - cultural enigma - social rejection
cultural lag
According to the study conducted by Neimeyer and his colleagues, people who experience less death anxiety are probably more able than others to see meaning in _____ by putting it into an overarching context. - death - afterlife - life-extending technologies - mortality salience
death
Exploring the meaning of losses arising out of a lifetime of experiences, and their influences on our attitudes and practices is part of a comprehensive study of _____. - past life and afterlife - death and rebirth - afterlife and rebirth - death and dying
death and dying
The term _______ may be understood as a shorthand designation for a cluster of death attitudes characterized by fear, threat, unease, discomfort, and similar negative emotional reactions, as well as anxiety in the psychodynamic sense as a kind of diffuse fear that has no clear object.
death anxiety
The largest area of empirical research in thanatology is concerned with the measurement of attitudes toward death and dying and more particularly - death anxiety. - hospice care. - suicide prevention and intervention. - the afterlife.
death anxiety.
Increasing awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives is the goal of a _____. - death analysis - death therapy - survivor's therapy - death café
death café
Some social media providers say that a dead user's account is not transferable and deactivate it on receipt of a _____. - monetary compensation - personal agreement - legal notice - death certificate
death certificate
Technological medicine promotes a view of death as an event that can be _____ rather than as a normal, natural part of life. - deferred indefinitely - conjured easily - avoided totally - ignored completely
deferred indefinitely
A(n) _____ is characterized by a redistribution of deaths from the young to the old. - hibakusha - egalitarian obit - epidemiologic transition - elegy
epidemiologic transition
People use _____ to subvert plain talk about death. - fabrication - dramatization - exaggeration - euphemisms
euphemisms
Avoiding words like dead or dying, instead using phrases in which loved ones "pass away," the deceased is "laid to rest" and the corpse is "remains", is an example of - death porn. - euphemisms. - thanatos. - keenings.
euphemisms.
Death promotes variety through the _____. - propagation of grief - evolution of species - destruction of human life - extinction of mankind
evolution of species
Information and communication technologies have spread rapidly worldwide, affecting _____ regarding death, dying, and bereavement. - global consciousness - public acceptance - important views - positive views
global consciousness
In television and movies, dying is generally portrayed as something that _____. - is serene and predictable - happens to us, rather than something we do - brings peaceful release for the victim - takes place as part of a natural process
happens to us, rather than something we do
In 1963, the University of Minnesota - held the first formal course in death education. - was the site of an on-campus shooting covered by TV reporters for the first time. - published articles about President Kennedy's assassination in the college newspaper. - held the first-ever candlelight vigil for a slain professor.
held the first formal course in death education.
The term hibakusha connotes _____. - the fear of extinction relating to the challenges of survival - pervasive anxiety about the threat of annihilation in our cosmopolitan era - complexities of routine jobs by linking with individual skills - involuntary euthanasia and its subsequent problems
pervasive anxiety about the threat of annihilation in our cosmopolitan era
Hannelore Wass observes that the study of death and dying will - die out as people will be less interested in such obscure subjects. - become a pop culture phenomenon focused on the "hereafter." - be in the hands of the faith community. - help individuals and societies transcend self-interest in favor of concern for others.
help individuals and societies transcend self-interest in favor of concern for others.
The medicalization of death has resulted in death being _____. - given undue importance - publicized to a great extent - discussed only in private - hidden from public gaze
hidden from public gaze
After someone dies, people's conversations about that person usually move from _____. - past tense to future tense - future tense to present tense - present tense to future tense - present tense to past tense
present tense to past tense
Death imagery in rock music may have helped break the taboo against _____. - teenagers attending music concerts - heavy metal fans idolizing violence - public mention of death - using derogatory lyrics
public mention of death
According to technological medicine, death has become a(n) _____. - radically unnatural occurrence - frequently happening phenomena - illusory phenomena - irrelevant subject of study
radically unnatural occurrence
Existential questions are discovered via a person's perception of _____. - anxiety and depression - reality and meaning - suicide and euthanasia - dying with mental illness
reality and meaning
Research into death anxiety has been characterized by Kastenbaum as - an express lane into the fear of death and dying. - data which is impractical and generally useless. - thanatology's own assembly line. - a unitary and monolithic set of variables.
thanatology's own assembly line.
The influence of the Internet has become so significant in conveying death-related information that it is only rightful to conclude that _____. - funerals will no longer be considered important - death notices can no longer be posted on the Internet - the Internet and World Wide Web have become part of the modern death system - the global population has objected to such public portrayal of death-related issues
the Internet and World Wide Web have become part of the modern death system
The jazz funeral of New Orleans is a well-known example of a popular interpretation of _____. - a death notice - the death anxiety - the dirge - an obituary
the dirge
People being absent at the deaths of relatives or friends due to social and geographical mobility has resulted in _____. - increased attendance at funerals - strengthening of family ties - increased funeral costs - the loss of shared death rituals
the loss of shared death rituals
In his emphasis relevant to terror management theory, Ernest Becker addressed - the need to control our basic anxiety and to deny the terror of death. - our belief that the world is generally not a terrifying place. - our inability to focus on threats, especially those that are political in nature. - terrorists' behaviors.
the need to control our basic anxiety and to deny the terror of death.
Existential questions are concerned with the nature of authenticity and _____. - the mental and emotional effects of the bereaved - philosophies of other disciplines - governmental actions and policies - the responsibility of choice
the responsibility of choice
An example of death that vies for your attention in a newspaper or an online news source is a report on _____. - the death of a beloved circus animal from a small town - a cat found dead in a well - the thousands of lives lost in a hurricane - the death of an old racehorse
the thousands of lives lost in a hurricane
A complex set of collaborations between linguistic and nonlinguistic representations and processes is called _____. - forging - thinking - mimicking - observing
thinking
Our relationship with death seems to be in a period of _____. - upheaval - rejection - transition - acceptance
transition
When an earthquake takes millions of lives and leads to mass destruction in a country, people worldwide would _____ for information. - consult a seismologist - turn to mass media - look up research material - look for guidance from the leaders of their respective countries
turn to mass media
Sympathy cards represent a way for people to express condolences to the bereaved _____. - by accepting responsibility for a death - with a candid reference to the dead - by pointing out the liabilities of the dead - without directly mentioning death
without directly mentioning death
Since the 1900s, the average life expectancy in the United States has _____. - increased - persisted - resettled - fallen
increased
As our firsthand experiences of death and violence have diminished, representations of death and violence in the media have _____. - been toned down to represent reality - increased in subtlety - increased in sensationalism - been banned from public screening
increased in sensationalism
The demographic changes over the last hundred years in America—the most notable of which involve _____, affect our expectations about death. - higher composition of female population and lower literacy rates - poor political framework and poverty - poor government policies and corruption - increased life expectancy and lower mortality rates
increased life expectancy and lower mortality rates
After Stella dies, her colleague says, "She was a very good employee." According to grammarians, the form of speech used by Stella's colleague in this scenario is called the _____. - subjunctive voice - indicative voice - passive voice - imperative voice
indicative voice
The integration of telecommunications and computers, as well as necessary software, middleware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information is called _____. - information and circuit technology - information and communication technology - individual intelligence technology - interpreted consumer technology
information and communication technology
Unlike the conventional definition, which defines death as the cessation of life, the medicolegal definition acknowledges the fact that _____. - life cannot be supported by sophisticated machines - life can be sustained artificially - life is not worth sustaining artificially - life, though sustained artificially, will cease to survive in a few days
life can be sustained artificially
Humor puts fearful possibilities into _____. - recurring nightmares - manageable perspectives - real-life situations - frightening encounters
manageable perspectives
When a prognosis of death has been accepted by medical staff and families and further treatments intended to cure have been put aside, there may nevertheless be a strong desire to handle the situation so that it comes out "right." This is termed _____. - impersonal death - managed death - clinical death - uncontrolled death
managed death
Depictions of death in the mass media, in which the symbolic use of death contributes to an "irrational dread of dying and thus to a diminished vitality and self-direction in life" is referred to as - mean world syndrome. - media overload. - communication depression syndrome. - secondary trauma.
mean world syndrome.
With some social media providers, a dead user's account can be _____, which leaves it active so friends and family can leave posts in remembrance. - locked - discarded - memorialized - frozen
memorialized
Deaths of famous people are likely to be announced on the front pages, followed by feature-length _____. - comments - critiques - expositions - obituaries
obituaries
Web-based platforms use information gathered from _____ to provide immediate response to crisis and loss. - online communities - private meetings - newsletters - periodicals
online communities
Recognize the four strands of emphasis relevant to terror management theory. (Check all that apply.) - Because the terror of death is so overwhelming, we conspire to keep it unconscious. - Our heroic projects that are aimed at destroying evil have the paradoxical effect of bringing more evil into the world. - The world is a terrifying place. - Our gallant efforts at creating schemes to destroy evil are becoming increasingly successful. - The basic motivation for human behavior is the need to control our basic anxiety, to deny the terror of death. - People don't think about death all that often.
- Because the terror of death is so overwhelming, we conspire to keep it unconscious. - Our heroic projects that are aimed at destroying evil have the paradoxical effect of bringing more evil into the world. - The world is a terrifying place. - The basic motivation for human behavior is the need to control our basic anxiety, to deny the terror of death.
Identify the functions of death-related humor. (Check all that apply.) - It provides a release from pain and helps bring control over a traumatic situation. - It erases all memory of the dead by diverting the attention of the bereaved to lighter issues. - It is a great leveler; it treats everyone alike, sending the message that there are no exemptions from the human predicament. - It prolongs the pain and assists in creating a traumatic situation. - It raises our consciousness about a taboo subject by providing a way to talk about it.
- It provides a release from pain and helps bring control over a traumatic situation. - It is a great leveler; it treats everyone alike, sending the message that there are no exemptions from the human predicament. - It raises our consciousness about a taboo subject by providing a way to talk about it.
Identify the existential questions that focus on the meaning of life. (Check all that apply.) - Where do I fit in the world? - What is my goal for the day - Who am I? - What am I doing here?
- Where do I fit in the world? - Who am I? - What am I doing here?
In place of a sense of the inevitability of death, we are now prone to an exaggerated faith in the ability of scientific medicine to prolong life. Identify this type of exaggerated faith. (Check all that apply.) - irrational exuberance - anatomic artwork - managed death - exaggerated optimism
- irrational exuberance - exaggerated optimism
In Gerbner's "mean world syndrome", the symbolic use of death contributes to 1. an irrational dread of dying. 2. diminished vitality. 3. diminished self-direction in life. 4. an increased hoarding of weapons. - 1, 2, and 4 - 2, 3, and 4 - 1, 3, and 4 - 1, 2, and 3
1, 2, and 3
Which of the following are included in Ernest Becker's "four strands of emphasis" in terror management theory (TMT)? 1. The world is a terrifying place. 2. There is always an underlying good versus evil struggle, and good ultimately prevails. 3. Because the terror of death is so overwhelming, we conspire to keep it unconscious. 4. The basic motivation for human behavior is the need to control our basic anxiety, to deny the terror of death. - 1, 2, and 4 - 2, 3, and 4 - 1, 2, and 3 - 1, 3, and 4
1, 3, and 4
Approximately how much has the average life expectancy in the United States increased since 1900? - 5 years - 15 years - 30 years - 45 years
30 years
Identify the dynamic of spiralizing violence that characterizes so much of human history. - Recognition of our lifelong losses and appreciation of our mortality - Focusing on any kind of perceived threat and blowing it up psychologically into a life and death struggle against ultimate evil - Thriving interest in dying, death, and bereavement - Individuals exhibiting varying degrees of avoidance and acceptance when it comes to discussing death openly
Focusing on any kind of perceived threat and blowing it up psychologically into a life and death struggle against ultimate evil
The establishment of death studies, in modern times, can be traced to explorations of death by - Saunders. - Becker. - Freud. - Kubler-Ross.
Freud
The establishment of death studies in modern times can be traced to explorations of death by _____. - Sylvia Anthony's studies of children - Freud and others of the psychoanalytic school - Erich Lindemann in his analysis of acute grief among survivors of a nightclub fire - Geoffrey Gorer in his essay "The Pornography of Death"
Freud and others of the psychoanalytic school
What are the two leading causes of death in the United States? - Suicide and Alzheimer's disease - Accidents and cancer - Alcoholism and stroke - Heart disease and cancer
Heart disease and cancer
Identify people who report less death anxiety. (Check all that apply.) - People who describe themselves as religious - Individuals with greater internal control - Individuals who report a greater degree of self-actualization - Individuals with agnostic beliefs
People who describe themselves as religious Individuals with greater internal control Individuals who report a greater degree of self-actualization
Which of the following factors does NOT affect our familiarity with death? - Life expectancy - Geographic mobility - Medical technology - Political decision making
Political decision making
Which of the following BEST describes the phrase "medical technology that seems to one person a godsend, extending life, may seem to another a curse"? - People do not know how to manipulate machinery. - People do not believe in the technology. - The effect of new technology helps define death. - The effect of new technology involves personal and social consequences and trade-offs.
The effect of new technology involves personal and social consequences and trade-offs.
_____ is a significant manifestation of the disappearance of death from the public domain. - The cross-cultural subject - The medicalization of death - The patient-caregiver relationship - Life insurance
The medicalization of death
According to George Gerbner, the "mean world syndrome" describes depictions of death in the mass media as embedded in a structure of violence that conveys - security and trust in the world. - an enhanced vitality and joy in life. - numbness and dismissal of death. - a heightened sense of danger.
a heightened sense of danger.
According to George Gerbner and colleagues, depiction of death in mass media often reflects _____ in which the symbolic use of death contributes to an "irrational dread of dying and thus to diminished vitality and self-direction in life." - a mean world syndrome - the deviancy amplification spiral - the just world hypothesis - a culture of fear
a mean world syndrome
Epidemiologic transition is BEST defined as the - shift in disease patterns characterized by a redistribution of deaths from the young to the old. - contribution of Americans' highly mobile life styles to making death less immediate and intimate. - change in cultural attitudes toward death as a significant determinant of how we live our lives. - trend toward more rapid and sudden death from epidemics.
shift in disease patterns characterized by a redistribution of deaths from the young to the old.
In literature, the meaning of death is often explored as it relates to the individual as well as - the author. - technology. - society. - the sixth sense.
society.
Our familiarity with death in present times has been powerfully influenced by _____. - care of the bereaved - elaborate funeral practices - higher rate of inheritance taxes - sophisticated medical technologies
sophisticated medical technologies