#38 - Thanatology (Life with Death Left In‪)‬ NDN Science Show

Although a difficult topic to talk about, we both realized that thanatology was important enough to do an entire episode on. This field of study is associated with a wide variety of disciplines that include everything from sociology and anthropology to medical professions like working as a mortician or a medical examiner for a police department. In this episode, we go over the history of thanatology, some of the dominant philosophies, and our own opinions on this important but seldomly discussed field of study.
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Links and Resources:
Chapple, H. S., Bouton, B. L., Chow, A. Y. M., Gilbert, K. R., Kosminsky, P., Moore, J., et al. (2017). The body of knowledge in thanatology: an outline. Death Stud. 41, 118–125. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2016.1231000
Chen, S.-C. (2009). The fusion of life and health-spiritual education. Natl. Educ. 50, 7–13.
Chen, S.-C. (2012). Oriental humanities, mindfulness and life education. Paper Presented at the Life Education Symposium (Taipei: IEEE).
Chen, S.-C. (2013). Overview and reflection on the 20-year national education life education curriculum. Natl. Educ. 53, 1–6. doi: 10.1054/nedt.2000.0850
Fonseca, Luciana & Testoni, Ines. (2011). The Emergence of Thanatology and Current Practice in Death Education. Omega. 64. 157-69. 10.2190/OM.64.2.d.
Chakhssi, F., Kraiss, J.T., Sommers-Spijkerman, M. et al. The effect of positive psychology interventions on well-being and distress in clinical samples with psychiatric or somatic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 18, 211 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1739-2
Hampton M, Baydala A, Bourassa C, et al. Completing the Circle: Elders Speak about End-Of-Life Care with Aboriginal Families in Canada. Journal of Palliative Care. 2010;26(1):6-14. doi:10.1177/082585971002600103
Kastenbaum R. Reconstructing Death in Postmodern Society. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying. 1993;27(1):75-89. doi:10.2190/P4XJ-EGNE-E157-G3QN
Lea Waters, Sara B. Algoe, Jane Dutton, Robert Emmons, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Emily Heaphy, Judith T. Moskowitz, Kristin Neff, Ryan Niemiec, Cynthia Pury & Michael Steger (2022) Positive psychology in a pandemic: buffering, bolstering, and building mental health, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17:3, 303-323, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2021.1871945
Lee, J. E., & Person, N. (n.d.). Tips for teaching a death and dying undergraduate course. https://www.apadivisions.org. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.apadivisions.org/division-20/publications/newsletters/adult-development/2021/10/facing-death
Meagher, D. J., and Balk, D. E. (eds) (2013). Handbook of Thanatology. London: Routledge.
Phan HP, Ngu BH, Chen SC, Wu L, Lin WW, Hsu CS. Introducing the Study of Life and Death Education to Support the Importance of Positive Psychology: An Integrated Model of Philosophical Beliefs, Religious Faith, and Spirituality. Front Psychol. 2020 Oct 8;11:580186. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.580186. PMID: 33117246; PMCID: PMC7578223.
Straka TM, Mischo M, Petrick KJS, Kowarik I. Urban Cemeteries as Shared Habitats for People and Nature: Reasons for Visit, Comforting Experiences of Nature, and Preferences for Cultural and Natural Features. Land. 2022; 11(8):1237. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081237
Doka, K. J. (2013). “Historical and contemporary perspectives on dying,” in Handbook of Thanatology: The Essential Body