Journalistic Denial of Death during the Very First Traumatic Period of the Italian COVID-19 Pandemic

Exactly one year ago, between February and March 2020, the COVID-19 infection went from an epidemic confined to China to a worldwide pandemic that was particularly lethal in Italy. This study examined the media accounts during that period by analysing the representation of death-related constructs in Corriere della Sera, the most widely read newspaper in Italy. A textual and thematic analysis of articles published between period A (epidemic: 23 January–22 February 2020) and period B (pandemic: 23 February–31 March 2020) was conducted using Nvivo-11. A total of 141 articles comprising 48,524 words were collected. The most utilised words and meanings linked to COVID-19 were computed. In the rank distribution, ‘China’ and ’virus’ were the terms most frequently used in both periods. The terms ‘death’ and ‘dead’ were completely absent in period A and appeared in the 535th position in period B. The term ‘dead’ was used primarily to indicate the number of deceased. From a Terror Management Theory perspective, it is possible that the minimal reference to death-related issues was a reflection of death denial and a manifestation of efforts to deny death to manage terror. These findings highlight the ambiguities and ambivalence surrounding any issue pertaining to death; on the one side, undue alarmism may provoke exaggerated reactions, such as moral panic, while on the other denial-based messages that minimise references to mortality may reduce safe behaviour during a pandemic.

Journalistic Denial of Death During the Very First Traumatic Period of the Italian SARS-CoV2 Pandemic

Exactly one year ago, between February and March 2020, the SARS-CoV2 infection went from an epidemic confined to China to a worldwide pandemic that was particularly lethal in Italy. This study examined media accounts during that period by analysing the representation of death-related constructs in Corriere della Sera, the most widely read newspaper in Italy. A textual and thematic analysis of articles published between period A (epidemic: 23 January–22 February 2020) and period B (pandemic: 23 February–31 March 2020) was conducted using Nvivo-11. A total of 141 articles comprising 48,524 words was collected. The most utilized words and meanings linked to SARS-CoV2 were computed. In the rank distribution, ‘China’ and ’virus’ were the terms most frequently used in both periods. The terms ‘death’ and ‘dead’ were completely absent in period A and appeared in the 535th position in period B. The term ‘dead’ was used primarily to indicate the number of deceased. From a Terror Management Theory perspective, it is possible that the minimal reference to death-related issues was a reflection of death denial and a manifestation of efforts to deny death to manage terror. These findings highlight the ambiguities and ambivalence surrounding any issue pertaining to death; on one side, undue alarmism may provoke exaggerated reactions, such as moral panic, while on the other denial-based messages that minimize references to mortality may reduce safe behaviour during a pandemic.

A descrição da narrativa do óbito: último ato individual, não solitário

INTRODUCTION: Death is the last act of the literary character, and it’s individual, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. We used the literary works “A candle for Dario”, “A body without a name” and “The death of Ivan Ilyich” to show and discuss how death is portrayed in Literature. DEVELOPMENT: We essayed about how death can’t be shared, becoming an individual act. We also discussed how death is shown as lonely in Literature and how death denial and the death in hospital place make death a lonely act. Besides that, we presented about anomie (that we concepted as lack of name, identity and social connections) and how it is denounced in Literature, revealing the extreme loneliness in the death of the character. By the end, we considered how death can be more comfortable, when the person in this moment of life is in contact with empathic people and behavior, despite the difficulty of people being truly empathic when they deny their own death. CONCLUSION: The literary works we used show how denial, indifference, depersonalization and lack of empathy make death be more than individual, but lonely. Some empathic acts are shown in the literary works and they reveal that thinking, experiencing and living death can be more natural and empathic, when we refuse death denial.

Drugs, Death, Denial and Cancer Care: Using Breaking Bad in the spiritual care of cancer patients

This article argues that watching Breaking Bad (2008–13) could encourage people affected by cancer to recognise and reconsider damaging reactions to their condition. If viewers are invited to see the series’ antihero, Walter White, as an iconic ‘silhouette’ of a better path not taken, this can provoke them to entertain more honest, constructive attitudes to cancer and death. Using the theological concept of a ‘silhouette of goodness’ and Jung’s theory of the ego-life and true Self, this article suggests that symbolic moments in Walt’s descent into chaotic criminality could help caregivers to meet the ‘need for symbols’ in cancer care.

Neoliberalism, individual responsibilization and the death positivity movement

In this article I offer a critical analysis of the loosely defined death positivity movement. Death positivity presents itself as oppositional and liberating, gaining legitimacy by reference to the narratives of death taboo and death denial. I show how the movement encourages extending continuous, self-reflexive engagement in identity and lifestyle to dying and death, arguing that death positivity employs and advocates a particular enterprising culture and furthers a neoliberal discourse of individual responsibilization. To make my argument, I look more closely at the death-positive discourse as it is furthered by two North American initiatives in particular; Death Over Dinner as presented by its founder Michael Hebb in the 2018 book about the initiative, and selected videos published by Order of the Good Death, spearheaded by mortician, author and YouTube personality Caitlin Doughty.