Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Fear death refers to the psychological response and emotion of anxiety, dread, or distress that individuals experience when confronted with their own mortality.
Related terms
Mortality Salience: The awareness or reminder of one's own mortality.
Thanatophobia: An extreme and irrational fear of death.
Terror Management Theory: The theory that suggests that humans manage the anxiety associated with the inevitability of death by creating and maintaining cultural worldviews and self-esteem.