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The Meaning of Death
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351 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1965
About the author
Herman Feifel
7 books3 followersAmerican psychologist Herman Feifel was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 4, 1915. He is internationally recognized as a pioneering figure in the modern death movement. His personal and research efforts helped break the prevailing taboo that discouraged scientific study of death and dying. His work transformed the way people think about death, treat the dying and bereaved, and view their own lives.
Feifel was educated in the New York City school system. His interest in psychology was stimulated during his undergraduate years at the City College of New York by John Gray Peatman, and later by Irving Lorge at Columbia University, where he received his master of art's degree in 1939. World War II became a reality before Feifel could finish his doctorate. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps (now, the Air Force) in 1942, where he worked first as an aviation psychologist and later as a clinical psychologist treating combat soldiers overseas. While assigned to the Island of Tinian in 1945 he watched the Enola Gay take off to bomb the Japanese city of Hiroshima, an event that ushered in the age of atomic warfare. Feifel later reflected that this event and the death of his mother in 1952 were the two most important influences that catalyzed his interest in thanatology.
When the war ended Feifel resumed his studies at Columbia University, and finished his doctorate in 1948. He joined the Winter General Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital/Menninger School of Psychiatry group in Topeka, Kansas, in 1950, an event that marked the beginning of a long and illustrious association with the VA.
In 1954 Feifel accepted an invitation to join the Los Angeles VA Mental Hygiene Clinic. In 1960 he assumed the position of chief psychologist, an office he held until his retirement in 1992. Since 1958 he has additionally held an appointment at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he is emeritus clinical professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences.
Feifel's dissatisfaction with psychology's neglect of the existential richness of life, including the everyday matters of death and dying, coalesced in the 1950s. A major consequence was his focus on what has since become known as the field of thanatology. In 1959 he edited the book The Meaning of Death, which authorities agree was the single most important work that galvanized the scholarly community concerning dying, death, and bereavement. In this and related areas (e.g., gerontology, personality, psychotherapy, religious experience) his publications encompass more than 125 articles and chapters, as well as two books. Many of his literary contributions are focused on dispelling myths held by scientists and practitioners about death, the most injurious of which is a denial of its importance for human behavior.
Feifel's empirical contributions are most influential in the areas of death attitudes, death anxiety, and coping with life-threatening illness. By the late 1990s scholars identified over 1,000 published studies in these areas, and recognized Feifel as being the only person to contribute seminal papers in five consecutive decades. He shaped the direction of this research by arguing for reliable and valid measures that acknowledge the multidimensional, multifaceted nature of death attitudes and fears, the importance of death attitudes in shaping a wide variety of behaviors, and the need to study death issues among those actually facing life-threatening circumstances. His research demonstrated that fear of death can exist differently on conscious and nonconscious levels, and helped establish that people may use different coping strategies when faced with life-threatening versus non-life-threatening situations.
For his work in thanatology, Feifel has received numerous accolades, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Judaism (1984), a Distinguished Death Educator Award (1990), the Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge
Feifel was educated in the New York City school system. His interest in psychology was stimulated during his undergraduate years at the City College of New York by John Gray Peatman, and later by Irving Lorge at Columbia University, where he received his master of art's degree in 1939. World War II became a reality before Feifel could finish his doctorate. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps (now, the Air Force) in 1942, where he worked first as an aviation psychologist and later as a clinical psychologist treating combat soldiers overseas. While assigned to the Island of Tinian in 1945 he watched the Enola Gay take off to bomb the Japanese city of Hiroshima, an event that ushered in the age of atomic warfare. Feifel later reflected that this event and the death of his mother in 1952 were the two most important influences that catalyzed his interest in thanatology.
When the war ended Feifel resumed his studies at Columbia University, and finished his doctorate in 1948. He joined the Winter General Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital/Menninger School of Psychiatry group in Topeka, Kansas, in 1950, an event that marked the beginning of a long and illustrious association with the VA.
In 1954 Feifel accepted an invitation to join the Los Angeles VA Mental Hygiene Clinic. In 1960 he assumed the position of chief psychologist, an office he held until his retirement in 1992. Since 1958 he has additionally held an appointment at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he is emeritus clinical professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences.
Feifel's dissatisfaction with psychology's neglect of the existential richness of life, including the everyday matters of death and dying, coalesced in the 1950s. A major consequence was his focus on what has since become known as the field of thanatology. In 1959 he edited the book The Meaning of Death, which authorities agree was the single most important work that galvanized the scholarly community concerning dying, death, and bereavement. In this and related areas (e.g., gerontology, personality, psychotherapy, religious experience) his publications encompass more than 125 articles and chapters, as well as two books. Many of his literary contributions are focused on dispelling myths held by scientists and practitioners about death, the most injurious of which is a denial of its importance for human behavior.
Feifel's empirical contributions are most influential in the areas of death attitudes, death anxiety, and coping with life-threatening illness. By the late 1990s scholars identified over 1,000 published studies in these areas, and recognized Feifel as being the only person to contribute seminal papers in five consecutive decades. He shaped the direction of this research by arguing for reliable and valid measures that acknowledge the multidimensional, multifaceted nature of death attitudes and fears, the importance of death attitudes in shaping a wide variety of behaviors, and the need to study death issues among those actually facing life-threatening circumstances. His research demonstrated that fear of death can exist differently on conscious and nonconscious levels, and helped establish that people may use different coping strategies when faced with life-threatening versus non-life-threatening situations.
For his work in thanatology, Feifel has received numerous accolades, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Judaism (1984), a Distinguished Death Educator Award (1990), the Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 29, 2014
'The meaning of death' is a collection of essays on various aspects of death from various perspectives by acclaimed contributors including psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers, anthropologists, health practioners, artists and sociologists.
The individual chapters are linked to each other in the broader inquiry of thanatology but lack harmonious fluidity because of the nature of compilations in the book (i.e. essay format). I think it is worth mentioning at this point that in 1959 when the book was written, the study of death was not a formal field of inquiry therefore resulting in an "overwhelming" book.
This book serves the purpose of a worthwhile introductory text for a beginner, since it covers most ground & equips the reader with tools to further explore death.
I have studied death extensively and although I was familiar with concepts presented in the book, I can still say that this has become my favorite book. The very nature of "overwhelming" ideas such as jumping from reading about modern art and death to funeral rites appealed to me the most.
Overall, I would highly recommend it to anyone who has even a slight curiosity towards our ultimate destination!
The individual chapters are linked to each other in the broader inquiry of thanatology but lack harmonious fluidity because of the nature of compilations in the book (i.e. essay format). I think it is worth mentioning at this point that in 1959 when the book was written, the study of death was not a formal field of inquiry therefore resulting in an "overwhelming" book.
This book serves the purpose of a worthwhile introductory text for a beginner, since it covers most ground & equips the reader with tools to further explore death.
I have studied death extensively and although I was familiar with concepts presented in the book, I can still say that this has become my favorite book. The very nature of "overwhelming" ideas such as jumping from reading about modern art and death to funeral rites appealed to me the most.
Overall, I would highly recommend it to anyone who has even a slight curiosity towards our ultimate destination!
December 19, 2021
I read a chunk of this. The interviews with kids about how they understand death is really interesting. The essays in the first section of the book, like the one by Jung, are intriguing and thought-provoking though sometimes a bit hard to believe.
Jung's novel idea of "fear of life" that contrasts with the familiar "fear of death" is a great one. But then his idea that life's purpose is death because it is the natural end to it's trajectory is dubious if poetic.
There's also an essay that talks about life spaces or something like that. It's like an unnecessarily technical version of Gail Sheehy's Passages.
I also enjoyed the critique of Heidegger's perverse approach to philosophy. I thought it was funny and precise.
Jung's novel idea of "fear of life" that contrasts with the familiar "fear of death" is a great one. But then his idea that life's purpose is death because it is the natural end to it's trajectory is dubious if poetic.
There's also an essay that talks about life spaces or something like that. It's like an unnecessarily technical version of Gail Sheehy's Passages.
I also enjoyed the critique of Heidegger's perverse approach to philosophy. I thought it was funny and precise.
100-199-philosophy
January 15, 2020128.5
June 15, 2021
Not what I was looking for. Wide ranging, but never really covered what it said was so difficult to cover: how to prepare for and deal with one's mortality.
February 22, 2022
Essential history of our experience of death.
November 4, 2010
Collection of essays discussing the idea of death from a variety of perspectives. Some papers are great, while others leave more to be desired.
April 14, 2015
EXCELLENT read! May be an older book, but the essays remain very relevant to today's society.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews