PSY 456 midterm

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, 3, and 4

A "teachable" moment is most often best reserved for the classroom. T/F

False

A child's mature understanding of death is seen as a single, unidimensional concept. T/F

False

A death café is an online blog started in Europe to help recently widowed men. T/F

False

A euphemism is a shorthand way of referring to an exciting event. T/F

False

Elegies and eulogies are both often inscribed as a memorial on a tomb. T/F

False

Gospel and classical music do not include death themes in their compositions. T/F

False

In American blues music, themes of loss, separation, and tribulation are rarely heard. T/F

False

In the nineteenth century, most people typically purchased coffins and baked homemade desserts to bring to the home of grieving friends. T/F

False

In the nineteenth century, violence in children's stories was downplayed, virtually non-existent, and rarely graphic or gory. T/F

False

Lullabies containing themes of death and violence are seen predominantly in American culture and first appeared as a twentieth century form of mourning songs. T/F

False

Non-empirical ideas are subject to strict scientific proof and observation. T/F

False

Nonfunctionality means that your everyday functioning (going to school or work, self-care, etc.) has diminished due to a recent loss. T/F

False

People who describe themselves as religious suffer more death anxiety than their non-religious counterparts. T/F

False

The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is a small community arts project started in Washington, D.C. T/F

False

The major aspects of a mature concept of death are mastered in an unfixed, irregular sequential order. T/F

False

The ofrenda is the gathering place where friends meet following a Mexican funeral. T/F

False

Themes of suicide are uncommon in music today. T/F

False

Veterinary schools can provide information on pet cemeteries, burials and cremation, but may not discuss hospice care for pets. T/F

False

A mature concept of death includes causality, which implies that adults will often blame someone or something for a loved one's death. T/F

True

At the turn of the century, young children were usually involved in activities surrounding the dead, including sleeping in the same room as the corpse. T/F

True

Exercising independence is a hallmark of Erikson's autonomy versus shame and doubt stage. T/F

True

Historically, the Celts practiced burial and cremation. T/F

True

Personal mortality is a subcomponent of universality T/F

True

Popular music devotes significant attention to death. T/F

True

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is an example of contemporary mourning art. T/F

True

The disruption of survivors' lives, their ensuing grief and coping is generally given little attention in the media. T/F

True

The rapid advancement of technology and social changes has created a "cultural lag." T/F

True

Through socialization, younger members of a society acquire knowledge from older generations. T/F

True

Wilson identified celebrity death as a category of death in country music. T/F

True

Word choices may reflect changes in how death is experienced at different times. T/F

True

According to the text, in 2014, approximately what percentage of Americans are affiliated with a religious tradition? a. 71 percent b. 60 percent c. 33 percent d. 50 percent

a. 71 percent

Regarding a mature concept of death, which of the following is true about universality? a. All living things must eventually die. b. Death involves the cessation of all physiological functions or signs of life. c. There are biological reasons for the occurrence of death. d. Organisms that die cannot be made alive again.

a. All living things must eventually die.

What term do social scientists use to describe the phenomenon of societies falling behind in dealing with new challenges resulting from rapid technological and social change? a. Cultural lag b. Globalization c. Managed advancement d. Social lag

a. Cultural lag

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

a. Erik Erikson

The establishment of death studies, in modern times, can be traced to explorations of death by a. Freud. b. Kubler-Ross. c. Becker. d. Saunders.

a. Freud

What are the two leading causes of death in the United States? a. Heart disease and cancer b. Suicide and Alzheimer's disease c. Accidents and cancer d. Alcoholism and stroke

a. Heart disease and cancer

According to Erik Erikson's theory, during which developmental stage do children increasingly seek their own direction and purpose? a. Initiative vs. guilt b. Industry vs. inferiority c. Trust vs. mistrust d. Autonomy vs. shame

a. Initiative vs. guilt

Which of the following best defines socialization? a. Learning and internalizing the norms, rules, and values of the society in which a person lives b. A process of creating visionary beliefs c. Ways of thinking, feeling, and acting d. Uprooting and restructuring basic attitudes, values, or identities

a. Learning and internalizing the norms, rules, and values of the society in which a person lives

What subcomponent of universality makes explicit the understanding not only that all living things die but also that each living thing will die? a. Personal mortality b. Inevitability c. Organicity d. Purposefulness

a. Personal mortality

In Erickson's model, approximately what age marks the beginning of the child's moral sense? a. Preschool and kindergarten years b. Birth-2 years c. Adolescent d. Middle childhood or school age

a. Preschool and kindergarten years

By what age do most children understand that death is a changed state? a. Preschool years b. Late elementary years c. Early middle school years d. Early elementary years

a. Preschool years

What concept describes opportunities for learning that arise out of unplanned or unexpected occurrences? a. Teachable moments b. Concrete operations c. Primary socialization d. Nonempirical ideas

a. Teachable moments

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 a. a heightened sense of danger. b. security and trust in the world. c. an enhanced vitality and joy in life. d. numbness and dismissal of death.

a. a heightened sense of danger.

In reviewing death anxiety research, Robert Kastenbaum says that it a. allows individuals to enjoy the illusion that death has been studied. b. is especially valuable in answering gender-related questions. c. is especially useful in answering questions of practitioners working with patients and bereaved people. d. gives individuals an adequate picture of how death is perceived by human beings.

a. allows individuals to enjoy the illusion that death has been studied.

In discussing how people understand death, the term "noncorporeal continuity" refers to the idea that a. human beings survive in some form after the death of the physical body. b. death occurs suddenly, without warning. c. legal issues must be addressed after death. d. death involves cessation of functioning.

a. human beings survive in some form after the death of the physical body.

The rural cemetery movement began in the United States a. in the 1830s. b. during the Spanish American War. c. in the early 1900s. d. during the Civil War.

a. in the 1830s.

The model of human development devised by Erikson focuses on a. stages of psychosocial development. b. self-identity decisions. c. academic operations. d. internalizing cultural norms.

a. stages of psychosocial development.

Approximately how much has the average life expectancy in the United States increased since 1900? a. 45 years b. 15 years c. 30 years d. 5 years

c. 30 years

Which of the following is NOT a way in which humor functions relative to death? a. Raises consciousness b. Defuses anxiety c. Discourages empathy d. Encourages togetherness

c. Discourages empathy

__________ has the longest life expectancy of countries worldwide. a. Switzerland b. United States c. Hong Kong d. South Africa

c. Hong Kong

In Japanese ancestral rites, where are the ashes of family members interred? a. In the ocean b. In a spirit tablet c. In the haka d. Ch'ing ming

c. In the haka

In Erikson's model, the years from about six to the beginning of puberty correspond to what stage? a. Initiative vs. guilt b. Autonomy vs. shame c. Industry vs. inferiority d. Identity vs. role confusion

c. Industry vs. inferiority

In Erikson's model of psychosocial development, in what period is a. Identity vs. role confusion b. Industry vs. inferiority c. Initiative vs. guilt d. Anxious vs. confused

c. Initiative vs. guilt

Which of the following is NOT an example of the dimension of sociological thanatology? a. Response to disaster b. Socialization of children c. Pain and symptom control d. Disposal of the dead

c. Pain and symptom control

Which of the following factors does NOT affect our familiarity with death? a. Geographic mobility b. Life expectancy c. Political decision making d. Medical technology

c. Political decision making

According to Kastenbaum, what is defined as "the study of life with death left in"? a. Anthropology b. Death anxiety c. Thanatology d. Clinical ethics

c. Thanatology

Which of the following is NOT an example of Holocaust literature? a. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank b. Night by Elie Wiesel c. Walking Skeleton by Richard Shaw d. Warsaw Diary by Chaim Kaplan

c. Walking Skeleton by Richard Shaw

In a study of nursery rhymes, approximately what percentage describe ways in which humans or animals die or are mistreated? a. 75 percent b. 10 percent c. 25 percent d. 50 percent

d. 50 percent

Studies conducted in the early 1940s by Sylvia Anthony showed that children can give general explanations for death by what age? a. 7 years old b. 5 years old c. 12 years old d. 9 years old

d. 9 years old

The modern scientific approach to the study of death is usually traced to a symposium organized in 1956 by a. Avery Weisman. b. Jacques Choron. c. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. d. Herman Feifel.

d. Herman Feifel.

What is the largest ongoing community arts project in America? a. The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall b. The Faith, Hope, Love Project c. Operation Gold Star Flag d. The AIDS Memorial Quilt

d. The AIDS Memorial Quilt

The text cites the lullaby "Rockabye Baby" to illustrate the point that a. each ending in life is followed by renewal. b. singing lullabies is a relatively new ritual. c. some lullabies are improper bedtime stories. d. a number of lullabies contain messages about human and animal death.

d. a number of lullabies contain messages about human and animal death.

Themes of loss and death are heard in a. classical music. b. American blues music. c. laments. d. all of the above.

d. all of the above.

A "teachable moment" is one in which a. a parent's questions, enthusiasm, and motivation guide the education process. b. learning flows in a single direction. c. a parent creates a situation that encourages talking about death. d. an opportunity for learning arises out of ordinary experiences.

d. an opportunity for learning arises out of ordinary experiences.

According to historian Philippe Ariès, during the period of "tamed death," death was viewed as a. an experience to be excluded from social life. b. something to be hidden from view. c. important to occur quietly in a hospital setting. d. an ordinary human experience.

d. an ordinary human experience.

Around the twelfth century, simple grave markers began to appear as did elaborate effigies. This was as part of increasing emphasis on a. humanitarianism. b. spiritualism. c. secularism. d. individualism.

d. individualism.

While more young people than ever claim no religion, there seems to be a growing interest in a. social constructionism. b. friendship. c. near death experiences. d. spirituality

d. spirituality

In his emphasis relevant to terror management theory, Ernest Becker addressed a. our inability to focus on threats, especially those that are political in nature. b. our belief that the world is generally not a terrifying place. c. terrorists' behaviors. d. the need to control our basic anxiety and to deny the terror of death.

d. the need to control our basic anxiety and to deny the terror of death.

Which of the following are common in the practice of the traditional form of recuerdo? 1. Tells the story of a person's life in a heroic manner 2. Is presented as a written narrative or ballad 3. Funeral is referred to as a "home-going" or "adios" ceremony honoring the spirit of the deceased 4. Gathering at the gravesite to bid godspeed to the deceased

1 and 2

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 3

A mature concept of death involves 1. universality. 2. irreversibility. 3. empiricism. 4. causality.

1, 2, and 4

Agents of socialization include 1. family and peers. 2. school. 3. employers. 4. religion.

1, 2, and 4

Which of the following BEST describes a "cosmopolitan" society? a. Ideas and practices are forward thinking. b. Ideas and practices from other historical periods and cultures are valued and examined. c. Cultural complexity of a globalizing world is rejected. d. Culture, identity, history, and language are guarded from change due to a strong sense of pride.

b. Ideas and practices from other historical periods and cultures are valued and examined.

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"? a. The effect of new technology helps define death. b. The effect of new technology involves personal and social consequences and trade-offs. c. People do not know how to manipulate machinery. d. People do not believe in the technology.

b. The effect of new technology involves personal and social consequences and trade-offs.

Media experts say that the "reality violence" on TV news began with coverage of the a. Los Angeles riots. b. Vietnam War. c. Kennedy assassination. d. explosion of the space shuttle.

b. Vietnam War.

According to Ulrich Beck, a German scholar and observer of the "cosmopolitan society," the human condition in the present century a. is too dependent on medical technology. b. cannot be understood nationally or locally but only globally. c. must engage in practical thanatology. d. is too concerned about diversity and cultural awareness.

b. cannot be understood nationally or locally but only globally.

According to Erikson psychosocial development depends significantly on developing a sense of identity and is linked to the individual's a. knowledge base. b. connectedness and independence. c. genes. d. cognitive transformation.

b. connectedness and independence.

In Erikson's model, the years from about 6 to the beginning of puberty is sometimes known as the a. age of control and adequacy. b. industrial age. c. elementary age. d. pre-pubescent precocious age.

b. industrial age.

Even when curative treatments have ended, the effort to control circumstances around death and dying so that it comes out "right" is termed a. death anxiety. b. managed death. c. terror management. d. plastinated care.

b. 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 a. media overload. b. mean world syndrome. c. communication depression syndrome. d. secondary trauma.

b. mean world syndrome.

The danse macabre was originally a reaction to fear of death caused by an epidemic of a. cholera. b. plague. c. leprosy. d. tuberculosis.

b. plague.

As part of Día de los Muertos, families go to the panteon to __________ a. cleanse themselves to prepare for a welcoming ritual. b. prepare for the return of their dead. c. pray to the Virgin de Guadelupe. d. grieve in private.

b. prepare for the return of their dead.

All of the following tends to be an important influence on the development of children's attitudes toward death EXCEPT a. family. b. rising funeral costs. c. children's literature. d. social network.

b. rising funeral costs.

Epidemiologic transition is BEST defined as the... a. contribution of Americans' highly mobile life styles to making death less immediate and intimate. b. shift in disease patterns characterized by a redistribution of deaths from the young to the old c. trend toward more rapid and sudden death from epidemics. d. change in cultural attitudes toward death as a significant determinant of how we live our lives.

b. 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 a. the sixth sense. b. society. c. technology. d. the author.

b. society.

Lullabies and nursery rhymes often contain a. supernatural powers. b. themes of death and violence. c. fairies who save people. d. wolves who eat people.

b. themes of death and violence.

Which answer best reflects children's understandings of John F. Kennedy's assassination? a. Younger children did not know who the president was and had no interpretation of his death. b. Young children worried about the appearance of the president's body and having to watch the news coverage. c. Younger children worried about the appearance of the president's body and the effects of the death on his family. d. Older children did not express concerns about the impact of Kennedy's death on the political system.

c. Younger children worried about the appearance of the president's body and the effects of the death on his family.

Día de los Muertos is a. a solemn community ritual. b. an all-day celebration honoring fallen soldiers. c. an occasion for remembering the dead. d. an event celebrated on January 1.

c. an occasion for remembering the dead.

In Japanese funeral rituals, all of the following rites are held EXCEPT the a. body is cremated and the ashes are placed in an urn. b. family invites Buddhist priests to the home and prayers are said. c. belongings of the deceased are buried with the body. d. deceased receives a special "Buddhist name."

c. belongings of the deceased are buried with the body.

The largest area of empirical research in thanatology is concerned with the measurement of attitudes toward death and dying and more particularly a. suicide prevention and intervention. b. the afterlife. c. death anxiety. d. hospice care.

c. death anxiety

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 a. keenings. b. thanatos. c. euphemisms. d. death porn.

c. euphemisms.

According to Kellehear's description and social history of dying, the meaning of death a. is lucky for the community and unlucky for the individual. b. is unknown and misunderstood as a collective fate. c. has changed over time. d. remains stable amongst western cultures.

c. has changed over time.

Children who have had first-hand encounters with death tend to a. still believe in reversible death. b. avoid any mention of it. c. have a developmentally more mature understanding of death. d. deny its existence.

c. have a developmentally more mature understanding of death.

In 1963, the University of Minnesota a. published articles about President Kennedy's assassination in the college newspaper. b. was the site of an on-campus shooting covered by TV reporters for the first time. c. held the first formal course in death education. d. held the first-ever candlelight vigil for a slain professor.

c. held the first formal course in death education.

Hannelore Wass observes that the study of death and dying will... a. become a pop culture phenomenon focused on the "hereafter." b. be in the hands of the faith community. c. help individuals and societies transcend self-interest in favor of concern for others. d. die out as people will be less interested in such obscure subjects.

c. help individuals and societies transcend self-interest in favor of concern for others.

In reviewing the status of research and practice in thanatology, Herman Feifel points out that the a. conscious fear of death is unrelated to innate fears. b. human mind operates in an interdependent, not autonomous, manner. c. human mind operates on various levels of reality or finite provinces of meaning. d. fear of death is a monolithic variable.

c. human mind operates on various levels of reality or finite provinces of meaning.

Human concern for the dead a. began during the Lower Paleolithic period. b. was first recognized by Luba of Africa. c. predates written history. d. is a social and funeral industry phenomenon.

c. predates written history.

The acquisition of a mature understanding of death is part of the developmental process known as a. maturation. b. ethnocentrism. c. socialization. d. cognition.

c. socialization.

Research into death anxiety has been characterized by Kastenbaum as a. an express lane into the fear of death and dying. b. data which is impractical and generally useless. c. thanatology's own assembly line. d. a unitary and monolithic set of variables.

c. thanatology's own assembly line.