Thorzhevskaya L.V., Polosukhina R.E.
THE DEBATABLE NATURE OF THE DEATH THEME TABOOING ISSUE ^{[№ 3 ' 2022]}
Death is one of the most exciting, common, emotional and taboo topics. Taboo is a complete ban or restriction. The article discusses the reasons for the taboo of death and the problems arising from it. The fear of death is one of them. Fear itself is a normal physiological reaction of the body to danger, however, when it acquires a pathological form, that is. phobia, the quality of life is declining.
The stages when a person is most susceptible to the fear of death are considered. For the first time a child encounters this phenomenon at the age of about five years. The loss of a beloved pet or family members makes you think, during this period it is important to honestly answer questions about death in a language accessible to the child in order to avoid problems in adulthood.
The next stage when ideas about death undergo changes is adolescence. During this period, it is typical to romanticize death, unlike adults, who perceive it exclusively as a tragic phenomenon. As you grow older, fear dulls and goes into the background, it is replaced by thoughts about building a career and starting a family.
Further collision with fear occurs during crisis periods, for example, in the midlife crisis, when basic needs are closed. Together with the rethinking of the past, joy, satisfaction and meaning disappear.
By old age, perception changes, acceptance of the inevitable comes. This is how the classic scheme of transforming the fear of death looks like.
The functions of death, the forms of fear of death, the specifics of the attitude to this phenomenon among people of dangerous professions, as well as the consequences of the complete absence of fear of the inevitable are considered.