Intimations of mortality

Integrative simplification as a precursor of death

Bibliographic Data

ID6205342
AuthorsPeter Suedfeld (0000-0003-2563-036X, University of British Columbia), Luz E Piedrahita
Year1984
Volume47
Issue4
Pages848-852
Publication date1984-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.47.4.848
PMID6512685
OpenAlexW2061723259
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited4

This article tested the hypothesis that a "terminal drop" in cognitive functioning occurs a few years prior to death. Letters written during the last 10 years of life were selected from the published correspondence of 18 eminent individuals and scored for integrative complexity--a variable which is related to the degree of integration and differentiation in information processing. The overall analysis supported the terminal drop hypothesis. The predicted decline in complexity was found during the five years prior to death among subjects who died of protracted illness or old age but only in the year immediately prior to death among subjects who died suddenly. There was no relation between complexity and age; the mean complexity scores of men were higher than those of women. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Cognition · Developmental psychology · Drop out · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Psychology · Social Psychology