ABSTRACT
Learning about the sociology of death, grief, and bereavement offers the opportunity also to learn about sociology. Given the personal, intimate nature of experiences of death, grief, and bereavement, it is not surprising that there is such a strong emphasis on the individual, psychological aspects of human encounters with major loss. The entire death awareness movement has been popularized and, to some extent, has left the scientific community. Death may also lead to morbid reflection on the fragility of life, that all that one has worked for will be lost, that the pursuit of security and power leads to ultimate loss in death, and that one's life is destined to end. Disciplines studying death, grief, and bereavement include not only sociology but also nursing, psychology, philosophy, literature, history, and bioethics. This chapter presents an overview of key concepts discussed in this book.
