Verified Document

Various Culture Belief About Dying Term Paper

Nursing Death and Dying in Other Cultures

Death and dying are never easy for family, friends, loved ones, and the ill persons themselves. These issues are further complicated by the fact that so many different cultures are now blended in the United States, and many of them have far differing views on death and dying.

For example, in the United States, most Christians believe in burying their dead quickly, holding a ritual funeral or "celebration of life," and mourning for a certain period of time. Most Christians believe the dead will rise to Heaven and live the remainder of their "life" as an angel in the clouds above. However, this is not the only way to celebrate death and face dying.

In the Hindu culture, people believe their loved one will return to earth to live another life, depending on the quality of life they lived during this current life. In addition, some cultures do not believe in burial beneath the ground. For example, "The Parsee people of northern India still practice the ancient Zoroastrian rite of placing their dead on scaffolds known as high dakhmas ('towers of silence'), where the bones are eventually...

129). Many Hindus and Buddhists also burn or cremate the corpse, rather than burying it. Other cultures, such as Roman Catholics and Jews, do not believe in cremation at all, and feel that burial is the only way to properly deal with a death.
Many Asian cultures have far more pragmatic views on death and dying. For example, the Chinese believe death and life are closely intertwined. Another expert writes, "The process of death then is the natural and necessary transition from a conscious state to an unconscious one, from a life-body to a death-body" (Kramer, 1988, p. 85). The two forces of Yin (death) and Yang (life) are so closely related that the Chinese view death as an inevitable and unavoidable continuation of life on earth.

As with death and burial, different cultures handle the dying person differently. In America, close friends and family may gather with the person and grieve together as the person dies. Hindus urge the dying person to meditate on their life. "Buddhist teaching provides details on how a dying person should concentrate on the experience in order to have…

Sources used in this document:
References

Aiken, L.R. (2001). Dying, death, and bereavement (4th ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kramer, K.P. (1988). The sacred art of dying: How world religions understand death. New York: Paulist Press.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Dying on Death and Dying:
Words: 3074 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

While various types of medical/religious practice had long attempted to prolong life, the emphasis of these efforts beginning during this period was placed on forestalling death. Views of Death in the Modern Era The trends that began in the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods continued into the modern era, and though the increased rationalism and emphasis on the scientific method and imperial fact served society well in many ways, this has not

Understanding Cultures
Words: 2587 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Psychological activities within certain cultures are sometimes abhorred and sometimes revered. As a prospective psychologist it will be interesting to learn which cultures are the toughest to integrate within, and which cultures are the easiest. It's easy for someone with an educational background to blithely state that being a psychologist in any culture would be intriguing. The facts, however, may not bear that out. This paper looks at three separate

Culture Competency
Words: 2454 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Nutrition, Rituals, Spirituality, And Health Care Practices of the Samurai Culture, As Depicted Within the Movie The Last Samurai According to Tom Stovall and Dustin Granger, "The ancient Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi wrote in his "Book of Five Rings,": "It will be difficult for you to succeed unless you look at things on a large scale'" (PharmaCafe). Similarly, within the movie The Last Samurai (2003), director Edward Zwick shows various ways in

Culture and Nursing
Words: 3252 Length: 11 Document Type: Research Paper

Introduction: The Concept of Culture Culture is the way of life for a person, society or group of people. It embodies the soul of the community and the heart of a team; it is seen in the way its members express themselves, communicate, think, feel, and believe. It determines what they value and how they honor the principles that guide them. It is different for every society, as Hofstede (1980) showed—and

Death Rituals of Different Cultures and Countries
Words: 1588 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Death Rituals of Different Cultures and Countries Death Rituals of different Cultures/Countries As the globe is full of numerous civilizations and cultures in a very diverse manner, similarly, their rituals, traditions and ceremonies related to life and death are also different from one another. The people belonging to these cultures have their own sets of beliefs that are witnessed through the ways they celebrate their occasions, festivals and even the death rituals

Costs of Denial in the Death and Dying Process
Words: 4587 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

Denial in the Death and Dying Process Identification of the Problem: Denial and Subsequent Lack of Communication of the Impending Death Death is a natural phenomenon and has been there since the existence of mankind. In the past, people used to accept the death or impending death of a loved one easily because they knew that there was little that they could do about it. However, with the advancement in health

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now