Through five sequential psychological stages, according to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. In her book On Death and Dying , she summarizes these stages, based on studying and interviewing dying patients. We can see the psychological difficulty we mortals face when confronting death. When first confronted with the news of their impending death, people refuse to accept it, denying reality. This second stage produces a resentment toward everybody and everything.
Patients lash out at doctors, nurses, and family.
This stage signals a partial acceptance of imminent death. In this stage people desperately attempt to buy more time from doctors or from God. They seek an extension, hoping to live a little longer. This is a difficult period produced by sorrow over failures and disappointment over elusive goals. People question the meaning of life.