Bad Death, Good Death: Death Definition from the Students' Point of View

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Associate Professor at Bu Ali Sina university

2 M>A of sociology at BU-Ali Sina University

10.22034/sls.2025.66224.1503

Abstract

Death has always been an inevitable and at the same time unfortunate phenomenon for humans. However, due to its inevitability, humans try to die at least well. Dying well or a good death has general and specific characteristics. Some deaths are considered good or bad deaths in most cultures. However, there are also definitions of death that have the color and flavor of the culture of each society. This research was designed with the aim of examining these definitions of death among students of Bu Ali Sina University using a survey method and was conducted with a sample of 371 people. Students define some deaths, such as death far from home, in solitude, due to falls and accidents, etc., as bad deaths, and deaths that occur during holy months or days and lead to burial in these places and next to the family, etc., as good deaths. The results show that among these variables, only three variables, religiosity, age, and social capital, are involved in some definitions of death, but in others, definitions of death are not affected by these variables. The overall finding of this study is that religiosity is an important variable in some definitions of death.

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References

 
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Journal of Sociology of Lifestyle (SLS)
Volume 10, Issue 4
December 2025
Pages 85-107

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 15 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 24 November 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 December 2025

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