Dying is a process, whereas death is an event. The essential task of the dying person is to work through psychologic responses toward the reality of approaching death to a final and peaceful acceptance of that reality. These stages represent the adaptive strategies of a dying person who is trying to come to grips with the finality of his or her terminal illness. Not every dying person proceeds through these stages in accordance with the proposed sequence.
Many patients alternate between one stage and another.
Sometimes a patient will appear to have moved toward acceptance only to regress toward denial in response to some event. Dying is unique to the individual. No two people have the same life experiences or the same inner resources to deal with the vagaries of life and its inevitable end. However, being aware of what people who confront death have in common can be of benefit to those who care for them throughout the dying process. They are familiar to anyone who has tried to deal with profound, unwanted change.