Variations in Death Rates in the Proximity of Christmas
An Opponent Process Interpretation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13629555 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Albert A Harrison (University of California, Davis, corresponding author), Neal E A Kroll (University of California, Davis) |
| Year | 1986 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 181-192 |
| Publication date | 1986-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2190/kant-9luv-3ux5-mlnd |
| OpenAlex | W2072974558 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 14 |
Previous attempts to show that death is sometimes postponed until after an important social occasion have focused on the relationship between birthdates and deathdates. The present research uses Christmas as the focal social event. Study I, which involved the number of obituaries published in a major metropolitan newspaper during the eight weeks centering on Christmas, showed a significant death dip immediately prior to Christmas and a significant death surge immediately thereafter. Study II, which was based on the actual death dates of eminent Americans, yielded the same general pattern of results and also revealed that the post-Christmas upswing was significant only in the case of people who had surpassed the sample's median age. Study II, which involved a day-by-day analysis, showed that the post-holiday increase was very abrupt. All of these findings are fully consistent with Solomon and Corbit's opponent process theory of motivation
Archaeology · Interpretation (philosophy · Media studies · Metropolitan area · Newspaper · Sample (material · Sociology · Computer Science · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Demography · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · History · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology
An opponent-process theory of motivation
Ceremonial occasions and mortality
Ceremonial occasions and mortality
The Hollow Holiday
Birth Dates and Death Dates
On the Relationship between Significant Yearly Events and Time of Death
A Time to Die
Control over Death
Relationship between month of birth and month of death in the elderly
A Re-Examination of Phillips' Death-Dip Hypothesis
A Dip in Deaths Before Ceremonial Occasions
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,17 |
| Citation span | 1990 - 2001 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |