Coping with dying: Lessons that we should and should not learn from the work of elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Abstract

Abstract This article begins from an appraisal of the work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in the area of coping with dying. In that appraisal, some reason are noted as to why we should not consider her stage-based model to be the heart of the useful lessons that she taught. Instead, three lessons are suggested that we can and should learn from the work of Kübler-Ross on coping with dying. Three further elements round out this exposition: 1) some broader conclusions are drawn about the processes involved in coping with dying; 2) an argument is offered on behalf of our need to develop better theoretical models to explicate what is involved in coping with dying; and 3) some requirements are suggested that should be satisfied by any adequate model in this field.