Dying, Death and Bereavement Dying, Death and Bereavement Thanatology Thanatology is the field that studies dying, death, and bereavement.
Thanatology is the study of dying and bereavement.
In our society, there seems to be a taboo when talking about or dealing with death. Thus, thanatology is a relatively new field. Many people considered studying dying people very cold and heartless, but many more people know and understand everyone must die for the world to continue. In the 1950s and 60s, social scientists and psychologists began to explore the dying process. Programs were developed to provide counseling and therapy for dying individuals and their family members.