In 1980, Marsha McGee conducted a study to evaluate the content of sympathy cards to view the American treatment of death, bereavement, and sympathy. She surveyed eighty-seven college students to determine their use of and attitudes toward sympathy cards. Fifteen years later this study replicates that undertaking in an attempt to determine what attitude changes have occurred, if any. One hundred thirty-seven sympathy cards were analyzed, and ninety-three people completed a questionnaire. Data gathered were compared to the original results with the determination that in fact there have been subtle changes in many respects; however, the reluctance to confront death in our expressions of sympathy and to use “that word” remains as staunch as ever.
A sample of American sympathy cards is content analyzed, and symbols, colors, and message wording and form are reviewed. In addition, responses of college students to sympathy cards are evaluated. Differences in attitudes toward and knowledge of cards appear to be related to age, sex, and religious affiliation. The students indicate preferences for glossy, bright cards, and most prefer short, unrhymed verses. Many show concern for writing their own messages of sympathy and for extending expressions of sympathy beyond card sending whenever possible. Suggestions for further research include comparison of responses of different age groups and examination of the significance of death-related experiences for type of response.
In recent years, much attention has been directed toward death-related topics, including the role of the physician in caring for terminally ill patients and communicating with patients and families about death and dying. During the past decade, researchers and critics have often described death in America as being problematic because of tension between heroic and humanistic medical care. This article presents an overview of the attitudes of physicians and medical students regarding end-of-life issues. Included are a discussion of the history of death in Western medicine, information about specific attitudes medical professionals hold regarding terminally ill patients and their families, and research findings about specific factors such as gender, specialty, and years of training and practice that contribute to these attitudes. A need for improved medical education about death and dying is emphasized, with recommendations about how to increase the knowledge of medical professionals and offer patients death with dignity.In the past decade, much attention has been directed toward death-related topics and the treatment of the terminally ill patient. Related literature has surfaced out of urgency "because of the technological capabilities of modern medicine and the moral pluralism characteristic of contemporary American society" (Bodemer 1979, 827). Playing a central role in this phenomenon is the physician, at times ill-equipped for the burden of decision making and responsibility of end-of-life decisions. Herman Feifel hypothesized that physicians enter medicine because of their own above-average fear of death and unresolved conflicts 341
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