Death Attitudes Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Japan: A Qualitative Study Based on Erikson’s Theory of Generativity

There are few opportunities for ordinary people not familiar with death to think about it, whereas basic research on death attitudes is insufficient. This study thus examined the attitudes toward death among ordinary people through a qualitative analysis using Erikson's theory of generativity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 middle-aged and older Japanese individuals. The results showed that death attitudes were individualized and consisted of seven components, mainly those related to agency and communion. The change in death attitudes manifested as a change in weight from agency to communion, a change in meaning and perspective, and an orientation toward well-being. In conclusion, the change in death attitudes is to become more generative by balancing agency and communion through the function of narration. This change might be termed "the maturity of death attitudes" because it is oriented toward eudaimonic well-being.