5 Stages of Death and Dying

There are many death and dying theories. One well recognized is the theory by Kubler-Ross where she outlines five different stages. The first stage is denial. This is when the dying person refuses to believe that their diagnosis is real. They say that the doctor is wrong and it’s a misdiagnosis and many will ignore symptoms or seek second opinions. The second stage is anger. They become angry because they fell helpless and therefore hopeless due to the fact that there is nothing they can do to prevent the dying process. They ask themselves why me? Why now? They think it’s unjust and unfair. The third stage is bargaining. Bargaining is when they try to make deals with the doctors and God. The dying person wants to try and make a deal with anyone who has control of their lives in an attempt to be able to survive. They want the best treatments and pray to God asking that if he would just let them live to see their child married or graduated from college than they will than agree to die. The fourth stage is depression. They have realized for sure that they are going to die. They begin to mourn the loss of their health, ability to enjoy life normally and the adjustments in their life style necessary to accommodate the dying process and the effect this has on their loved ones. The fifth stage is acceptance when the dying person finally accepts that they are dying. They generally try to live out their final days to the fullest and spend time with the people they love the most. People as they experience the dying process may move back and forth between the different stages. The stages of death and dying don’t necessarily occur in order because death is a very difficult thing to deal with and vary in different cultures.