Zimmermann Camilla, Rodin Gary
Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Palliat Med. 2004 Mar;18(2):121-8. doi: 10.1191/0269216304pm858oa.
It has become commonplace to say that contemporary western society is 'death-denying'. This characterization, which sociologists have termed the 'denial of death thesis', first arose in the social science, psychological and clinical medical literature in the period between 1955 and 1985. During the same time period, the hospice and palliative care movements were developing and in part directed themselves against the perceived cultural denial of death in western society. While the denial of death has been taken for granted by the lay public as well as by clinicians, in the sociological literature it has been increasingly questioned. In this paper we use sociological critiques of the denial of death thesis to raise critical questions about the theory and practice of contemporary palliative care. In particular, we argue that the emphasis of palliative care should not be on extinguishing the denial of death but on the relief of suffering.
说当代西方社会“否认死亡”已成为一种常见说法。这种被社会学家称为“死亡否认论”的描述，最早出现在1955年至1985年间的社会科学、心理学和临床医学文献中。同一时期，临终关怀和姑息治疗运动正在发展，部分是针对西方社会中人们所感受到的对死亡的文化否认。虽然死亡否认已被普通大众和临床医生视为理所当然，但在社会学文献中，它越来越受到质疑。在本文中，我们运用对死亡否认论的社会学批判，对当代姑息治疗的理论与实践提出批判性问题。特别是，我们认为姑息治疗的重点不应是消除对死亡的否认，而应是减轻痛苦。
