When the dying do not feel tabooed: perspectives of the terminally ill in Western Germany

Abstract

This paper primarily examines the perspectives of dying persons in Germany, in terms of if and when the dying feels lonely during their final weeks. The author contrasts emic perceptions with public discourses in regards to the non-dying ones possibly neglecting or tabooing the terminally ill. Secondly, the paper explores how and where the dying persons included in the study want to pass away. The dying individuals involved did not feel tabooed or ignored by non-dying persons. Dying at home did not necessarily remain the preferred option compared to dying at institutions. The author collected data between 2013 and 2015 in Western Germany, using long-term participant observation and interviews with individuals diagnosed as terminally ill.

Keywords:

• Dying
• death taboo
• participant observation
• palliative care
• Germany

Notes

1. ‘Dying persons’ refers to persons experiencing the prospect of fading away soon in this text. Dying is defined as stretching from receiving a terminal diagnosis until physical exitus.

2. See Walter (1991), and Zimmermann and Rodin (2004).

3. For example, by streaming a repeat episode of the TV show Der Tod – das letzte Tabu? (ARTE, 2009) or talking about the ARD’s topic-centred weekly series (2012), which was broadly discussed, even years after it aired on TV.

4. Similarly, Appleton (2004), Rosenthal (2002) and Heimerl (1999) report positive effects on the subjective well-being, if persons in existential crises are encouraged to talk about what bothers them.