Work roles in death-releated occupations

More occupations than generally realized require the worker to have contact with the dying, the dead, and the bereaved. The opportunity for “leeway” and the desire to provide service are major motivating factors for persons in these positions. The death-related professional, often fatalistic in his own views of his own death, must live up to the social expectations for his role performance while simultaneously being a functioning human being who must encounter death at a personal level and a businessman who must earn his living from working with death-related concerns.