Philosophy and religion in the face of death and bereavement

While the ways in which people deal with dying and bereavement have been comprehensively researched, there is little which integrates psychological, emotional, philosophical, and religious perspectives. The role of religion is generally considered in terms of a simple linear relationship between presence or absence of religious belief and coping capacity. This article uses qualitative material from a small-scale study concerned with individuals' philosophical and religious frameworks to point towards multi-factor analysis. Comment is offered around the themes of theodicy; meaning; death-transcendence modes, and psychological and emotional adjustment.