PSYC 357 Chapter Notes -Terror Management Theory, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Death
20 Feb 2014
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Technical perspectives on death: medical/legal: death is point when there"s irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions/ when all structures of brain have ceased to function, dying= period during which organism loses its vitality. New technology makes it hard to determine point of death (ie brain dead but alive on ventilators) Asleep a lot, disorientation, irregular breathing, visual/auditory hallucinations, diminished vision, producing less urine, mottled skin, cool hands/feet, overly warm trunk, excessive secretions of bodily fluids. Likely unable to walk/eat, difficulty recognizing family members, constant pain, difficulty breathing: common is anorexia-cachexia syndrome: loss of appetite (anorexia) and atrophy of muscle mass (cachexia, in many cancer patients, aids, dementia. Anxiety, depression, confusion, bowel problems, dry mouth, bloating (liquid in abdomen) Acceptance in final stage of dying implies ability to transcend these final painful physical symptoms. Calculated by obtaining weighted averages of age specific death rates (reflecting proportion of indivs in that age group in pop)
