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The Inevitable Death Acceptance and Post-formal Cognitive Development By Sarah Salazar Health 1100

2 Eventually the inevitable will happen to everyone, at some point we all will die. It is never an easy subje t to dis uss but it has been !ettin! more and more attention in the "ield o" psy holo!y over the past "ew years #$on! et.al, 2011%. But what helps one !rasp the idea that death will be a !ood thin!& 'ennin!s #et.al 200(% proposed the relatively new on ept o" post)"ormal operational thou!ht, based o" *ia!et+s model, mi!ht be a ,ey "a tor in death a eptan e. -eath a eptan e is de"ined as the deliberate, intelle tual a ,nowled!ment o" the prospe t o" one+s own inevitable death, and the positive emotional assimilation o" the onse.uen es. Stassen)Ber!enr #2010% dis usses how everyone wants a !ood death, to be surrounded by loved ones, have no stressors, and to be without pain. Essentially everyone wants to rea h the point were they "eel it is o, to die. /n e a person i" "a ed with their demise they be!in the 0ubler)1oss 2 sta!es o" !rie". 3ot everyone !oes throu!h all these sta!es or in this parti ular order, but more times than not this is how it !oes. 1. -enial 2. 4n!er 5. Bar!ainin! 6. -epression 2. 4 eptan e. 7his last sta!e 8a eptan e9 is where our "o us will be. -eath a eptan e an be thou!ht o" as the last o!nitive a hievement our brains an muster. 7here are di""erent "orms o" death a eptan e, neutral death a eptan e, whi h is "a in! death rationally as an inevitable end o" every li"e. 4pproa h death a eptan e, a eptin! death as a !ateway to a better a"terli"e. /r es ape a eptan e, hoosin! death as a better alternative to a pain"ul e:isten e #$on!, et.al. 2011%. In the arti le by 'ennin!s #et.al.200(% the main "o us is to asso iate post)"ormal operational o!nitions with death a eptan e. In the use o" post)"ormal operational o!nition there is

Salazar 5 an emphasis on spiritual enli!htenment. 7his resear h is lar!ely "o used on the 8approa h9 "orm o" death a eptan e, and limited to only this. ;rom this resear h it was "ound that post)"ormal operational thou!ht in the, spe i"i area o" spirituality, made a si!ni"i ant ontribution to individuals a eptin! death in their last days. 'ennin!s #et.al. 200(% on luded that people need post)"ormal operational o!nitions in order to rea h a hi!her spiritual state, and "rom this the ability to a ept death as a !ateway to a better a"ter li"e. 7his resear h ame with many limitations, "irst o" whi h is this was the "irst study o" its ,ind. 'ennin!s #et.al. 200(% a ounted "or this in their dis ussion. <ore resear h is needed to "urther support their results. 4lon! with that, this resear h was only limited to approa h death a eptan e. <any individuals rea h death a eptan e and post)"ormal operational thou!ht pro esses without a belie" in reli!ious spirituality. $ith this e:treme limitation there is a lar!e population !ap missin! "rom the resear h. 4nother limitation is that the -eath 4ttitude *ro"ile #-4*)1% was not used in this assessment. 7he -4*)1 is the universal assessment !iven to individuals=patients to better understand what sta!e o" !rie" they are in #$on!, et.al. 2011%. In the resear h by 'ennin!s, there was an assessment reated spe i"i ally "or their resear h. 7his limits their study to e: lusively their population. 3o other studies have used this assessment, so there is nothin! to on"irm their "indin!s. 7o sum it up, death and dyin! are subje ts that I have !reat respe t and admiration "or. I wor, with elderly populations and am interested in the "ield !eriatri s, understandin! the sta!es o" !rie" more "ully will help me in my areer. 7here is still a !reat deal to learn about post)"ormal operational thou!ht, and its relationship to death

6 a eptan e. Espe ially "o usin! on neutral and es ape death a eptan e, and limitin! spirituality as a ben hmar, to post)"ormal operational o!nition.

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1e"eren es 4meri an *sy holo!i al 4sso iation, http>==apa.or!=topi s=death=inde:.asp:, 1etrieved on 4pril 21, 2016. Ber!er, 0. S. #2010%. Invitation to the life span. 3ew ?or,> $orth *ublishers. *a!es 2@6)2@2. 'ennin!s, '., Aalupo, <. *., B Cartwri!ht, 0. #200(%. 7he role o" post"ormal o!nitive development in death a eptan e. 1DD)1@2. $on!, *., B 7omer, 4. #2011%. Beyond terror and denial> the positive psy holo!y o" death a eptan e. Death Studies, , 99-106.