ABSTRACT
Early Efforts While many people associate the historical roots of the study of dying with Kübler-Ross’ epochal book On Death and Dying (1969), in fact, the roots of the field are earlier. In this section, I will explore some of the early and contemporary contributions to the study of the dying process. This chapter begins with a brief history of some of the early formative work, reviews the development of the concept of anticipatory grief, describes more contemporary efforts to develop task models of dying, and discusses theorists who have viewed dying as a developmental and transformative experience. This chapter in no way presents a comprehensive review of all the work that exists on the field. Rather, it represents the author’s perspective of influential work that has contributed to the care of the dying. Persons who wish a more all-inclusive view may wish to consult varied social histories of the field (Pine, 1977; 1986; Corr, Doka, and Kastenbaum, 1999).
