Introduction to the Fear of Death

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What is the fear of death? Cross-culturally, this is a phenomenon known as “Thanotophobia”, or death anxiety as it’s often referred to. This is not to be confused with Necrophobia which is the fear of dead things. Death Anxiety is defined as an abnormally great fear of death, with feelings of dread or apprehension arising when one thinks about the death process, or what happens after. The idea of fearing death is something ubiquitous within human nature, something found in cultures and societies across the globe, from the United States to China, Japan and everywhere in between. These fears and anxieties are expressed in relation to their cultural backgrounds and as such measure differently. This is due to the fact that Death Anxiety is culturally dependent, meaning society and culture heavily affects your perceptions of death (Schumaker 1991?). Depending on how the overarching society perceives and deals with themes of death, and associated beliefs and rituals really factors into the individuals’ levels of anxiety over it. What’s even more interesting, are the causes that can lead to this phobia or the development of it.

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What is the fear of death? Cross-culturally, this is a phenomenon known as “Thanotophobia”, or death anxiety as it’s often referred to. This is not to be confused with Necrophobia which is the fear of dead things. Death Anxiety is defined as an abnormally, great fear of death, with feelings of dread or apprehension arising when one thinks about the death process, or what happens after.

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The idea of fearing death, or death anxiety is something ubiquitous within Human Nature, something found in cultures and societies across the globe from here in the U.S. all the way over to eastern Asian nations such as China, Japan, South Korea and everywhere in between. These fears and anxieties are expressed in relation to their cultural backgrounds and as such measure differently depending on where you are in the world. This is, according to J.F. Schumaker due to the fact that Death Anxiety is culturally dependent. Meaning, your society and/or culture you live in, heavily affects your perceptions of Death Anxiety. Depending on how the overarching society perceives and deals with themes of “Death” and associated things, really factors into the individuals’ levels of “Death Anxiety”. What’s even more interesting, are the causes that can lead to this phobia or the development of it.

-Kourtney Potts