The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life

by Sheldon Solomon

FEAR OF DEATH IS UNIVERSAL, albeit with varying degrees of awareness. Most of us are shielded from existential terror by embracing a cultural scheme of things and striving for self-esteem. But we all have some cracks, or at least some dings, in our terror management shields, resulting in a host of suboptimal attitudes and behaviors. In this sense, many of us are good candidates for existential psychotherapy.