Sources of children's knowledge about death and dying

Abstract

In the last century, decreases in infant and child mortality, urbanization and increases in healthcare efficacy have reduced children's personal exposure to death and dying. So how do children acquire accurate conceptions of death in this context? In this paper, we discuss three sources of children's learning about death and dying, namely, direct experience of death, parental communication about death and portrayals of death in the media and the arts. We conclude with recommendations about how best to teach modern children about this aspect of life.This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary thanatology: impacts of the dead on the living in humans and other animals'.

Coping with mortality: responses of monkeys and great apes to collapsed, inanimate and dead conspecifics

“…However, the question remains as to whether they are aware of what it means when a partner remains permanently inert, and whether we can gain any insight into this question. Research studies in developmental psychology have shown that the understanding of death in human children can be defined and measured through several dimensions (Speece & Brent 1984;Kenyon 2001;Slaughter 2005;Longbottom & Slaughter 2018). From 4 to 10 years of age, children successively master four main dimensions related to the concept of mortality: (1) Irreversibility: a dead individual cannot return to life, (2) Universality: all living beings must eventually die, (3) Cessation: all bodily and mental functions cease upon death, (4) Causation: the breakdown of bodily functions is due to external and internal causes.…”

Current Grief Support in Pediatric Palliative Care

“…Talking about death and dying with young children has been reported as one of the more challenging conversations for parents even when compared with conversations regarding other topics such as reproduction, ageing, and diagnosis of a serious illness [ 58 ]. Studies have shown that caregivers who are more anxious about an impending death were also more likely to avoid these crucial conversations and had a higher likelihood to utilize euphemisms when discussing death.…”

Психологический Анализ Медиатекста: Образ Животного В Рекламном Нарративе

“…Вопрос о мотивирующем потенциале медийных текстов является трудным, нерешенным и требующим внимания в силу возрастающего значения медийных сообщений [28,29,30,31]. Суждение о психологической деструкции или созидательности медианарративов должно опираться на комплексный психологический анализ, учитывающий не только содержательный уровень медиатекста, но и уровень организации его формы.…”