Should We Incorporate the Work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in Our Current Teaching and Practice and, If So, How?

This article acknowledges the historical importance of the work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and her five stages model. Because her name and this model appear in many textbooks, professional educational programs, and popular culture, should we incorporate these subjects in responsible ways in our current teaching and practice? The answer proposed here is that we should incorporate these subjects, but only if (a) we focus on her recommendations on behalf of active listening and learning from persons diagnosed with a terminal illness, (b) we limit ourselves to her descriptions of the individual reactions and responses experienced by her interviewees, (c) we acknowledge criticisms of the five stages model as a framework for understanding coping with life-threatening illness and dying, (d) we draw instead on alternative theories of coping with dying, and (e) we recognize dangers in applying this model to issues involving loss, grief, and bereavement and do not do so.