Although many books are written about bereavement, very few are written about the fear of one's own death and most of these focus chiefly on terminal illness. In contrast, this book looks at the ways in which the fear of death operates on a back burner throughout our lives and how it influences the choices we make and the paths that we follow in life. The author presents a `moral hierarchy' of behavior used in coping with the fear of death and dying.

Attitudes Toward Death.- The Probable Causes of the Fear of Dying.- Creativity.- Love.- Humor.- Intellectualization.- Procreation.- Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior.- Living Life to the Hilt, Living Better, Living Longer.- Group Membership.- Religion.- Mementos and Monuments.- Counterphobic Behavior.- Gambling.- Dissociation.- Repression/Denial.- Suicide.- Projection, Killing, and the Problem of Evil.- Summary and Conclusions.