We have experienced a climate of change in which every aspect of death has been displaced from the home and given over to the hands of professionals. For the most part, we have become observers rather than participants in the death process. Another factor that has shaped our present view of death is the move to becoming a youth oriented society. A great deal of effort has been expended in an effort to halt the aging process and to keep us looking and feeling youthful. Further, life extending technologies now keep people alive who would have died at the turn of the century.
Personal experiences influence each individual's perception of death.
Those who have experienced death in some way have a different perspective than those who have not. Culture, religion, and urban vs. rural location color our views of death. For example, a child growing up on a farm will have experienced death very differently than a child growing up in the inner city. The former may experience death of animals in a natural setting, whereas the urban child may witness drive by shootings, gang warfare, and death from drug overdoses. An individual's age and stage of development are other important factors that influence perceptions of death.