Ch. 17 Definitions Flashcards
Brain death
A neurological definition of death—an individual is dead when all electrical activity of the brain has ceased for a specified period of time
Euthanasia
The act of painlessly ending the lives of persons who are suffering from incurable diseases or severe disabilities (aka “mercy killing”)
Passive euthanasia
Withholding of available treatment such as life-sustaining devices, allowing the person to die
Active euthanasia
Death induced deliberately, such as by injecting a lethal dose of a drug
Hospice
A program committed to making the end of life as free from pain, anxiety, and depression as possible (contrasted with prolonging life as hospitals do)
Palliative care
Emphasized in hospice care, involving reducing pain and suffering and helping individuals die with dignity
Denial and isolation
Kübler-Ross’s first stage of dying in which dying person denies that she or he is really going to die
Anger
Kübler-Ross’s second stage of dying in which the dying person’s denial gives way to anger, resentment, rage, and envy
Bargaining
Kübler-Ross’s third stage of dying, in which the dying person develops the hope that death can somehow be postponed
Depression
Kübler-Ross’s fourth stage of dying in which the dying person perceives certainty of death and demonstrates preparatory grief
Acceptance
Kübler-Ross’s fifth stage of dying in which the dying person develops a sense of peace, also sometimes the desire to be left alone
Grief
The emotional numbness, disbelief, separation anxiety, despair, sadness, and loneliness that accompany the loss of someone we love
Complicated grief / prolonged grief disorder
Grief that involves enduring despair and remains unresolved over an extended period of time
Disenfranchised grief
Grief involving a deceased person that is a socially ambiguous loss that can’t be openly mourned or supported
Dual-process model
Model of coping with bereavement that emphasizes oscillation between loss-oriented stressors and restoration-oriented stressors
