Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004) was a psychiatrist and author who was a major figure in thanatology – the study of death and dying. She is best known for articulating the Five Stages of Grief model that presents the emotional responses a person undergoes after a death or any other disaster (Deaderick et al., 2023). The ground-breaking work of Kubler-Ross introduced the subjects of death, dying, bereavement and grief into scientific and public discussions. Her breakthrough book On Death and Dying was among the first to introduce academic rigour to studying the emotions and psychology associated with death (Deaderick et al., 2023). Kubler-Ross also played a critical role in forming the hospice care movement and changing attitudes within the medical community on caring for the dying.
Theories/Concepts
A significant theory of Kubler-Ross is the Five Stages of Grief model, which articulates the steps that individuals take in their reactions to a psychological loss. The five stages include denial, rage, bargaining, depression, and, last, acceptance (CNN, 2021). She introduced this model in her classic 1969 book On Death and Dying, which was derived from interviews with over 500 terminally ill patients. Her research found many common emotional patterns that the patients experienced when they were told of their prognosis. The Five Stages of Grief quickly became a seminal framework for understanding bereavement (CNN, 2021). While later research has questioned the strict order and the exact nature of the stages, there remains strong evidence that these responses are commonly associated with grieving.
Kubler-Ross brought a lot of insight into the emotions of dying, helping to change attitudes to better accommodate the psychological needs at the end of life. Additionally, the five stages model has been applied to understand other types of psychological losses beyond death, such as divorce, job loss, and also chronic illness diagnoses (Tyrrell et al., 2023). The model’s universality contributed to its great popularity across many fields. Kubler-Ross also advocated for more humane and empathetic treatment of the dying as an underserved population in medicine (Tyrrell et al., 2023). Her influential model gave terminology and structure to the many complex emotions around death that had previously gone unarticulated.
Personal History
A key influence on Kubler-Ross’ interest in death and dying was her upbringing in the war-torn Switzerland during WWII. Witnessing the horrors of war firsthand as a teenager exposed her at an early age to severe grief, loss, and also mortality. In her memoirs, she cites reading about the Holocaust as an adolescent as the first seeds of her lifelong compassion for those suffering tragedy and loss (Deaderick et al., 2023). Additionally, the premature loss of her grandfather when she was 15 years old deeply impacted her. Her complicated relationship with her authoritarian father also contributed a lot to her a lot of sympathy for those experiencing existential and emotional distress. These defining experiences in Kubler-Ross’s personal history no doubt played a formative role in shaping her later perspective and pioneering work (Deaderick et al., 2023). Furthermore, being a medical student in the 1950s, when attitudes to death were avoidance and denial, inspired her interest in helping dying patients. In the early stories of her success, she was appalled by the cruel treatment of terminally ill patients by the medical system and then turned her life around to change the attitudes.
Zeitgeist
The work of Kubler-Ross was so much in tune with the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s. Also flowering at the time was an openness about things previously considered taboo, such as death, sexuality, psychology, and self-help (Deaderick et al., 2023). Her writing created a cultural need for more compassionate dialogue around grief and dying. Inspired by the trends valuing alternative medicine and patients’ emotional needs, she advocated for treating the terminally ill with respect and empathy.
Kubler-Ross was also shaped by the era’s growing recognition of the mind’s role in overall health, reflected in the rise of psychotherapy. As awareness of psychology’s benefits alongside medicine increased, she contributed key insights applying mental health support to extreme end-of-life crises (Newman, 2004). Kubler-Ross proved very instrumental in cementing death and also bereavement as very vital issues deserving understanding and care. Additionally, the 1960s saw a rising backlash against the excessive technology and the coldness of the medical treatment to which Kubler-Ross spoke. Her message aligned with the cultural calls for more heart and humanity in medicine.
Conclusion
In shining a spotlight on the terminally ill patients’ inner lives and the psychological process of grieving the loss, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross left an enduring mark on the fields of thanatology, psychiatry, and also self-help. Through her interviews and qualitative research, she raised awareness of the dying patients’ emotional needs, which had previously gone unaddressed in medicine. In an era fascinated with psychology’s newfound potential, Kubler-Ross helped to establish death and bereavement counselling as deserving of recognition and support. By courageously dialoguing around loss, grief, and mortality, she opened many minds and fostered compassion. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was truly ahead of her own time as a pioneer in explaining the psychology of death and also giving voice to the terminally ill.
References
Deaderick, A., Franke, C., Amorelli, K., Knightly, E., & Stearns, N. (2023). Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Open History of Psychology: The Lives and Contributions of Marginalized Psychology Pioneers. https://pressbooks.pub/openhistoryofpsychology/chapter/chapter-15-elisabeth-kubler-ross/
Deaderick, A., Franke, C., Amorelli, K., Knightly, E., & Stearns, N. (2023). Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Pressbooks.pub, 33(2). https://pressbooks.pub/openhistoryofpsychology/chapter/chapter-15-elisabeth-kubler-ross/
Newman, L. (2004). Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 329(7466), 627. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC516672/
Tyrrell, P., Harberger, S., Schoo, C., & Siddiqui, W. (2023, February 26). Kubler-Ross Stages of Dying and Subsequent Models of Grief. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507885/
CNN, K. R. (2021, September 12). Five stages of grief and how to get through them. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/12/health/five-stages-of-grief-kubler-ross-meaning-wellness/index.html#:~:text=Elisabeth%20K%C3%BCbler%2DRoss.
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