CT Death Anxiety & Psychology 3

Question 1

Which psychological construct describes the capacity to find meaning and purpose in life despite full awareness of one's mortality?

Accepted Answer

Death transcendence

Answer

Death transcendence refers to the ability to find meaning and engage fully with life even while acknowledging the certainty of death, a key concept in existential and positive psychology.

Question 2

According to Robert Kastenbaum, 'death anxiety' and 'fear of death' are best understood as:

Accepted Answer

Distinct but related phenomena with different cognitive and emotional components

Answer

Kastenbaum distinguished death anxiety (diffuse, generalized unease about mortality) from fear of death (more focused, object-directed), noting they have different manifestations and measurement needs.

Question 3

The 'mortality salience hypothesis' predicts that reminders of death will lead people to:

Accepted Answer

Strengthen adherence to their cultural worldview

Answer

The mortality salience hypothesis, central to Terror Management Theory, predicts that death reminders cause people to more strongly defend and affirm their cultural worldviews as an anxiety buffer.

Question 4

A 70-year-old patient expresses contentment with their life and readiness to die. According to Erikson's theory, this reflects successful resolution of:

Accepted Answer

Ego integrity vs. despair

Answer

Erikson's final psychosocial stage, ego integrity vs. despair, involves reviewing one's life and achieving acceptance of its course, which supports a peaceful confrontation with death.

Question 5

Which theoretical framework specifically emphasizes that death anxiety arises from the conflict between the human desire for life and the biological certainty of death?

Accepted Answer

Existential psychology as articulated by Irvin Yalom

Answer

Irvin Yalom's existential psychology frames death anxiety as arising from the fundamental conflict between the will to live and the inevitable reality of death, one of four core existential concerns.

(CT) Certified Thanatologist Practice Test

(CT) Certified Thanatologist Practice Test

CT Death Anxiety & Psychology 3