Daseinsanalytic understanding of elderly terminal cancer patients’ death perceptions

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience and death perceptions of elderly terminal cancer patients after they were diagnosed with cancer. Data were collected by conducting one-on-one interviews with nine research participants. Also, the collected data were understood in depth based on Medard Boss’ Daseinsanalytic approach (1963). As a result, 17 categories and 45 subcategories related to the research participants’ death perceptions were revealed. These were structured based on five concepts of various existentialias, including historicity, co-existence, fundamental attunement mood, corporeality, and essential meaning. In addition, by deriving the main idea from each existentialias, the Daseinsanalysis existentialias structure diagram of death experience was suggested. In other words, the death perceptions of participants were revealed with five main categories, including ‘Get rid of one's obsession’, ‘Wearing new clothes of life’, ‘Concerns for those left behind’, ‘Renewal of one's body’, and ‘Greeting to death’. At last, a few discussion were presented based on the findings of this study.