The Denial of Death

Course overview

Ernest Becker received the Pulitzer Prize for this work in 1974, two months after his death from colon cancer at age 49. The book expresses Becker's view of humankind's evolution of thought. His work is built upon Otto Rank and Norman Brown's understanding of death and of Freud's psychoanalytical theory. Becker observed that the instinctual impulses that children are born with are stamped by their unique cultures and expressed in their quest for personal significance. Man's advanced sense of self (emotions) and man's sense of body (instincts) become the tapestry through which Becker weaves his own thoughts. Becker believes education is the keystone to achieve freedom from neurotic fear. Fully facing one's fears is the ultimate road out of neurosis. He felt that seeking significance or hero pursuit obscured the real insecurities and fears of alienation and death. The Denial of Death embraces a rich spirituality as Becker relates to the work of theologians such as Soren Kirkegaard. The intriguing spiritual blend between what Becker calls scientific creatureliness or religious creature-liness is capturing. His ultimate quest for personal integrity in the work of being fully human led him to embrace the best of both worlds. The book will be thought provoking. The reading will lead to a long list of resources to be explored by the clinician in the future.