Why Are Dying Individuals Stigmatized and Socially Avoided? Psychological Explanations

Abstract

Extant research on the topic of death and dying in modern society frequently includes the observation that death is now rendered invisible, and dying individuals are stigmatized and socially avoided. The current research speculated that lack of contact with a dying individual may promote negative perceptions of the dying, and this may in turn lead to further avoidance of them. Three studies were conducted: The first study examined how frequently the current U.S. participants had social contact with a dying individual; the second study investigated what perceptions they have of the dying, and the third study tested for potential causal links between negative perceptions of the dying and social avoidance of them. The results indicated: Only a small number of the U.S. participants ever had frequent social contact with a dying individual outside their family; they, nevertheless, shared several common negative perceptions of the dying; and those negative perceptions exerted different effects on one’s avoidant attitude toward a dying individual―only making males more avoidant, especially in a physically close social relationship. Two concepts, medicalization and masculinism, were suggested as possible explanations for why dying individuals are stigmatized and avoided in modern society.

Keywords:

• Death
• dying
• social avoidance
• social distance
• stereotype
• stigma
• terminal patient