Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: A Brief Analysis

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Recommended: When did Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross research the five (5) stages of death

“Death is something we associate with old age. However, for many individuals, death comes earlier.” (Feldman, 2014). Elisabeth Kübler-Ross came up with the model of the five stages of death. The model only works for people who find out they are dying and have enough time to respond to the five stages. The five stage theory that describes a person’s response to the news of death, is portrayed through Ardell when she found out she was diagnosed with lung cancer. First we will talk about the five stage theory that describes people’s response to the news of death. “No individual has had the greater influence on our understanding of the way people confront death than Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.” (Feldman, 2014). The Kübler-Ross model is limited to those who learn they are dying with enough time to respond in the five distinct stages. The stage component of the model is limiting. People may experience some of the behaviors and emotions, but not all of them. There is a possibility that they move through the stages in a different order, experience components of more than one stage at the same time, or they may move back and forth between the stages. The theory can be limiting because it does not …show more content…

Ardell’s reaction to the news of her approaching death did not follow what is predicted by the Kübler-Ross model of death and dying. Ardell skips the third stage, known as bargaining, and goes to depression, which is the fourth stage in the model. She experiences anger, for a second time, after experiencing depression, which is the fourth stage. Ardell moved backwards in the stage sequence projected by the Kübler-Ross model. She wavers between depression, anger, and fear. Ardell tells her friends that her outbursts of anger are due to her experiencing fear. However, fear is not a part of the Kübler-Ross model, therefore she is experiencing feelings besides the ones that are

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