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Developmental Psychology: Lifespan Development · Late Adulthood, Death, and Dying

Death, Dying, and Bereavement

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On this page 7 sections
  1. In 30 seconds
  2. Why this matters
  3. The college version
  4. Eli explains
  5. Quick check
  6. Study tools
  7. Sources & references

In 30 seconds

This section covers death, dying, and bereavement — how people cope with dying (including the widely known Kübler-Ross model, presented as a model), hospice and palliative care, grief and bereavement, and the wide cultural and individual variation in how people experience the end of life.

Why this matters

Nurses care for people at the end of life and for grieving families. Understanding dying, grief, and compassionate end-of-life care — with humility about how much individuals and cultures differ — is essential for providing dignified, supportive, person-centered care during one of life's most profound experiences.

The college version

Core Explanation

Coping with dying: the Kübler-Ross model. A well-known framework by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross describes five possible responses people may have when facing dying (or major loss): denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This is genuinely useful for recognizing common reactions — but it must be understood correctly:

  • These are not rigid, universal stages that everyone goes through in order.
  • People may experience some, all, or none of these responses, in any order, and may move back and forth.
  • It is best treated as a descriptive model of common reactions, not a fixed sequence or a "correct" way to die.

Presenting it as a strict, must-follow sequence is a common misconception — the reality is highly individual.

Grief, bereavement, and mourning. Related terms with distinct meanings:

  • Bereavement — the state of having lost someone to death.
  • Grief — the emotional response to loss (sadness, longing, and many other feelings).
  • Mourning — the outward expression of grief, often shaped by culture and custom (rituals, funerals).

Grief is a normal, highly individual process. There is no single correct timeline or way to grieve. Most people gradually adapt over time while still remembering their loved one; when grief remains intensely disabling for a prolonged period, additional support may help.

Hospice and palliative care. Two important, compassionate approaches:

  • Palliative care — care focused on relieving symptoms, pain, and suffering and improving quality of life for people with serious illness. It can be provided alongside curative treatment at any stage of a serious illness.
  • Hospice care — a form of care focused on comfort and quality of life for people who are near the end of life (typically when curative treatment is no longer the goal), supporting both the person and their family.

Both emphasize dignity, comfort, symptom relief, and emotional/spiritual support — central values in compassionate end-of-life nursing.

Cultural and individual variation. Beliefs and practices around death, dying, and grief vary enormously across cultures, religions, and individuals — including views of the afterlife, rituals, how emotions are expressed, and decisions about end-of-life care. Respectful care means being humble, curious, and non-judgmental, following the person's and family's values rather than assuming one "right" way.

(Death, dying, and grief are deeply sensitive topics. This material is educational. Anyone struggling with loss deserves compassion and support, and reaching out to trusted people, professionals, or grief-support resources can help.)

How It Works

Death, dying, and grief:

Kübler-Ross (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) = MODEL of common reactions
   → NOT a fixed/universal order; individual, may skip or revisit
Terms: bereavement (state of loss) | grief (emotional response) | mourning (outward expression)
Grief = normal, individual; no single "correct" timeline
Palliative care = relieve suffering (can be alongside curative, any stage)
Hospice = comfort/quality of life near end of life (person + family)
Cultural/individual variation is large → humble, non-judgmental, person-centered care

Important Relationships and Comparisons

TermMeaning
BereavementState of having lost someone
GriefEmotional response to loss
MourningOutward/cultural expression of grief
Care typeFocusTiming
Palliative careRelieve symptoms/sufferingAny stage of serious illness (can be with curative care)
Hospice careComfort/quality of lifeNear end of life

High-Yield Pre-Nursing Connections

Understanding the Kübler-Ross model correctly (common reactions, not a fixed sequence) prevents forcing patients into "stages." Distinguishing palliative from hospice care is clinically important: palliative care can accompany curative treatment, while hospice focuses on comfort near end of life. Recognizing grief as normal and individual supports compassionate care of patients and families. Cultural humility is essential in end-of-life care — following the person's and family's values. Nurses play a key role in comfort, dignity, symptom relief, and emotional/spiritual support at the end of life.

Quick Recap

  • The Kübler-Ross model (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) describes common reactions, not a fixed, universal sequence everyone follows in order.
  • Bereavement (state of loss), grief (emotional response), and mourning (outward expression) are distinct; grief is normal and highly individual with no single "correct" timeline.
  • Palliative care relieves suffering and can accompany curative treatment at any stage; hospice care focuses on comfort near the end of life, supporting person and family.
  • Beliefs and practices around death and grief vary widely, so care must be culturally humble, non-judgmental, and person-centered.

Common Confusions

  • Kübler-Ross stages are common reactions, NOT a fixed universal sequence everyone follows in order.
  • Palliative care ≠ hospice: palliative can accompany curative treatment at any stage; hospice is comfort care near end of life.
  • Grief has no single "correct" timeline or way — it is normal and individual.
  • Bereavement (state), grief (emotion), mourning (expression) are distinct terms.
Eli, the EliExplains learning guide

Eli explains

The same idea, in plain words

Explain it like I’m 10

Simple idea

When people face dying or lose someone, they can feel many different emotions — in their own order and their own way. Special kinds of caring, called palliative and hospice care, focus on comfort, dignity, and support.

Analogy

A doctor named Kübler-Ross noticed that people facing death or big loss often feel certain things — like denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. Think of these as weather patterns that might pass through, not a set of stairs everyone climbs in order. Some people feel all of them, some only a few, and they can come and go in any order — there's no "right" way. When someone we love dies, the sadness we feel is called grief, and it's deeply personal — there's no timer or correct schedule for it. To help people who are very sick or dying, there are two special caring approaches. Palliative care is like a comfort team that helps with pain and hard symptoms — and it can happen even while someone is still getting treatment to try to get better. Hospice care is comfort-focused care for when someone is near the end of life, wrapping both the person and their family in support. And because people from different families, cultures, and beliefs handle death very differently, the kind thing to do is to listen and follow their wishes, never assume there's one right way.

What is actually happening

For nurses, end-of-life care is some of the most meaningful work there is. The key skills are compassion, comfort, and respect: relieving pain and hard symptoms, supporting the person's dignity, and caring for grieving families. It's important not to push someone through "stages" — everyone copes differently. Knowing the difference between palliative care (comfort that can go alongside treatment) and hospice (comfort near the end of life) helps nurses explain options to families. Above all, being humble and respectful of each person's culture and wishes guides truly person-centered care.

Where the analogy stops

Weather passes on its own, but grief isn't something to just "wait out" — people often carry love and memory forward while gradually adapting, and supportive relationships genuinely help along the way.

Quick check

5 questions here, of 8 in this lesson’s practice set. Answers stay hidden until you check.

Question 1 of 5

A patient is on a mechanical ventilator after a severe traumatic brain injury. Two physicians perform standardized neurological examinations and confirm absent brainstem reflexes, no response to painful stimuli, and no drive to breathe during an apnea test. The heart continues to beat with ventilator support. Under current medical and legal standards, this patient meets the criteria for which of the following?

Choose an answer, then check it.
Question 2 of 5

A student studying grief learns that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross proposed five emotional responses to dying. Which of the following lists the five stages in the sequence Kubler-Ross originally described?

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Question 3 of 5

Six months after the death of her husband, Elena spends some mornings looking through photo albums and crying. Other mornings she focuses on learning to manage the household finances her husband always handled and joining a hiking group she had put off for years. She describes her experience as moving back and forth between missing him intensely and rebuilding a life without him. Which grief framework best describes Elena's pattern?

Choose an answer, then check it.
Question 4 of 5

Three years after her mother's death, Keisha keeps her mother's favorite teacup on the kitchen counter and pours herself a cup of tea in it every Sunday morning, the ritual they shared for decades. She says she still talks to her mother in her mind when making difficult decisions and feels her mother's values guide her parenting. Keisha holds a full-time job, maintains friendships, and reports overall satisfaction with her life. Which grief framework best describes Keisha's ongoing relationship with her mother?

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Question 5 of 5

A hospital is designing a care pathway for patients with serious illness. The planning committee must distinguish between palliative care and hospice to assign patients to the appropriate service. Which statement accurately distinguishes these two approaches?

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You’ll learn to

  • Describe the Kübler-Ross model and its correct interpretation.
  • Distinguish grief, bereavement, and mourning.
  • Describe hospice and palliative care.
  • Recognize cultural and individual variation in death and grief.

Sources & references

  1. OpenStax, *Psychology 2e*, Chapter 9: Lifespan Development (death and dying).
  2. U.S. National Institute on Aging — End of Life; Providing Care and Comfort at the End of Life.

This lesson was adapted from the open educational references above; their licenses and attributions are preserved. See Copyright & Licensing.

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