A Death of One’s Own Reflection Paper Psychology Essay

A Death of One’s Own Reflection Paper
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December 5, 2018
Perhaps one of the most daunting thoughts that come to our mind is the idea of our death. The mystery and the possibility of merely ceasing to exist could easily strike fear in anyone’s hearts. Similarly, the film entitled ‘A Death of One’s Own’ elaborates on this kind of fear and tries to determine how most people cope by ‘controlling their fates’ by treating death as an easy way out. One of the most interesting cases that exemplifies this in the film was that of Jim Witcher. Being afflicted with ALS, a deadly and untreatable disease, he tries to control his fate by “timing his death.” In the video, Witcher wanted to undergo a process known as ‘euthanasia’ since he knows the sheer amount of pain that he would experience if he is to continue to live. However, Witcher was not given that kind of option as state policies prohibit its practice (FindLaw.com, n.d.). From this, it could be seen how some people could view death as an ‘escape’ from the miseries of life.
Another case that was presented in the video was that of Ricky Tackett, who is a patient in the late stages of Liver failure. While the disease is not as physically painful as that of others, knowing that you are just a few days from slipping into coma and dying could elicit extreme emotions of sadness, regret, and fear to anyone. To lessen these repercussions, his family and his doctor have then decided to sedate him and go with the process of euthanasia, which they think is the best course of acti...