Take the Death Anxiety Questionnaire download, respond to the questions, and submit your answers. Add up your score. (Your score will be between 0 and 30.) According to Conte, Weiner, and Plutchik, the average score for most people, regardless of age, is 8.5. What was your score? Was it higher or lower than the average score these researchers found? Why do you think this is so?
The DAQ identifies four specific aspects of death anxiety: fear of the unknown (items 1, 2, 12, 14, and 15); fear of suffering (items 3, 4, and 5); fear of loneliness (items 6 and 7); and fear of personal extinction (items 10, 11, and 13). Items 8 and 9 stand alone as other aspects of death anxiety.
How did you score on each of the four aspects? Reflect on what you learned from this exercise.