Separation from loved ones in the fear of death

Abstract

Individuals' death anxiety or fear of death has been extensively investigated, and there are numerous conceptualisations used in the literature, including a distinction between the dimensions of death and dying of self, and death and dying of others. This paper addresses a gap in the literature, and re-examines the relationship between these two dimensions, which are assumed to be positively, linearly related. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study indicates that regardless of the degree to which individuals fear their own death, most individuals fear the death and dying of others. Specifically, the leaving, or loss of loved ones was a central theme in people's fear of death and this is discussed in relation to current trends in the literature.