ABSTRACT
This chapter details the literature on anxieties pertaining to death. Sigmund Freud related the fear of death to the following fears that occur in the course of development during the oral, anal, Oedipal, and latency phases: loss of the object, loss of the object's love, castration, and fear of the superego. In his paper, "On Transience", Freud was fifty-nine years old and his thoughts were drawn to the idea of loss and impermanence. The chapter also describes two different constellations of pathological fear of death: that emanating from a neurotic conflict, and that leading to a post-traumatic stress disorder-like symptomatology. It then comments upon the rejuvenation fantasies that are often associated with encountering death. The chapter illustrates these phenomena with the help of brief clinical vignettes as well as three Hollywood movies, On Golden Pond, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Cocoon. All three address the fear of dying in different ways with different reactions.
