Medical Ethics and Meaning at End of Life
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As people age through the life span, many focus with increasing intensity on the issues they face as elderly members of society and as people facing end-of-life decision-making. The inevitability of death does not detract from the onset of death anxiety and conflicted views that emerge because of the range of impacts of aging. End-of-life issues, including fear of dying, have been recognized as a factor hindering psychosocial functioning in elderly populations. Subsequently, defining therapeutic methods through which individuals can address their fears and alleviate anxiety have become goals in creating dynamic psychotherapeutic approaches.
One of the emerging strategies outlined in the current literature is the use of existential philosophical principles in the creation of an operational psychoanalytic praxis. Because end-of-life issues often result in the desire by individuals to confront their existence (existential philosophy), the application of an existential psychotherapeutic approach has been introduced as a part of existing research. This has led to the identification of “death fear” as a major development in the presence of end-of-life assessments. An operational psychoanalytic model that addresses the issue of the fear of death has been identified as a major development in creating a workable psychoanalytic praxis.
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About the Book
End-of-life issues, including fear of dying, have been recognized as a factor hindering psychosocial functioning in elderly populations.
As people age, many focus with increasing intensity on the issues they face as elderly members of society and as people facing end-of-life decision-making. The inevitability of death does not detract from the onset of death anxiety.
An emerging strategy is the use of existential philosophical principles in the creation of an operational psychoanalytic praxis. Because end-of-life issues often result in the desire by individuals to confront their existence (existential philosophy), the application of an existential psychotherapeutic approach has been introduced as a part of existing research.
This has led to the identification of “death fear” as a major development in the presence of end-of-life assessments. An operational psychoanalytic model that addresses the issue of the fear of death is a major development.
The underlying belief shared by researchers is that fear is inherent for both doctors and patients and requires understanding and compassion on both sides of the equation. This research study is designed to assess the models or psychoanalytical praxes introduced when addressing the needs of elderly individuals and to evaluate both the historical context in which they were formed and the support mechanisms for their continuation.
About the Author
Richard George Boudreau is a maxillofacial surgeon, bioethicist, attorney at law, and forensic expert who serves on the faculty of the U.C.L.A. Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. He has earned numerous academic credentials, holds several fellowships, and enjoys analyzing challenging bioethical issues. He volunteers as a teacher and is passionate about health care, law, theology, philosophy, education, and public policy. He serves on the editorial board of several scholarly peer-reviewed journals, and is a regular bioethics contributor to several magazines, newspapers, and media. He is the author of several other books focusing on bioethics, medicine, and end-of-life care.