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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Whose dying? A sociological critique of the "good death" | | Author(s) | Bethne Hart, Peter Sainsbury, Stephanie Short |
| Journal title | Mortality, vol 3, no 1, 1998 |
| Pages | pp 65-77 |
| Keywords | Dying ; Death ; Terminal care ; Sociology, Social Science. |
| Annotation | The ideology of the "good death" is central to the modern hospice movement and underpins many of the challenges to the medical management of dying and death. The development of the concept of the "good death" will be traced from the work of the French historian, Aries, through the influential writings of Kübler-Ross, to the contemporary contributions within the sociology of dying and death. The good death concept now holds a diversity of definitions and meanings that unify around the ideal of dying with dignity, peacefulness, preparedness, awareness, adjustment and acceptance. This paper's central concern is the dominance of the "good death" ideology, leading to the labelling of "good" and "bad" patients, and consequent attempts by caregivers to shape the lives of dying people. The paper suggests that the ideology legitimates a new form of social control within which society approved dying and death are characterised by proscribed and normalised behaviours and choices. The ideology dominates the social management of dying and death within the hospice movement, and increasingly within the broader community, and powerfully constrains dying people's choices. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-010105002 A |
| Classmark | CX: CW: LV: S * |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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