Death and dying: Confluences of emotion and awareness

Abstract

Using data from an introspective ethnography, this paper proposes a modified theory of awareness among dying patients, their families and medical personnel. By incorporating the sociology of emotions, this modified theory provides a richer understanding of the complexity of relationships in death and dying than the previous literature which focuses on knowledge and the management of knowledge in social interactions in the context of dying. It is suggested that awareness based on knowledge and the cognitive processing of information not only obscures the emotional content of terminal illness, but also moves to the background the emotional work performed by dying patients and their families. The modified version of awareness theory recognises that emotion and cognition are intertwined and pays close attention to emotions within the social context.