The Fear of Death and Narcissism

Rachel Perrulli

Rachel Perrulli

Abstract

The idea of death is a universally repressed fear that lies at the root of so much of what we create, define, imagine, hypothesize, believe and dream. The fear of death is always present to us in its manifestations, which have been influenced by the forces of narcissism, heroism, and repression-all of which have creatively shifted throughout culture and history. Without the answer to the purpose of our biological existence, we have created symbolic surrogates, the purpose of which is an attempt to avoid death. Culture provides us with the images and symbols of immortality aiding us in repressing the fear of death by providing us with ways of building a sense of self. Afraid of the unknown, we crave for meaning and a sense of specialness in order to help us forget that we all die.

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