Death is something that we will all experience at some point in our lives. When most people think of death, it is a sad event. With most events of death, they do not come across as funny. The five stages of death or as it's also known as the 'grief cycle,' was created by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D.. Kubler-Ross intention was not to create these steps as a strict series or steps that were sequential or process. The stages/cycle was more of a model or framework and even just a guide for people going through hard times in life in regards to themselves and/or others. Every person reacts/performs/thinks/etc in different ways, and these stages of grief become to different to different people. Some people may not experience every stage or some may revisit stages they have already experienced. As Kubler-Ross puts it, "People’s grief, and other reactions to emotional trauma, are as individual as a fingerprint."
The model's purpose is to help recognize the fact that people experience their own individual journey when they deal with death, trauma, heartache, etc., and after which there becomes acceptance of the person's reality and the situation, which then helps them cope and move forward.
Below is the breakdown of each of the 5 stages that has been described by Kubler-Ross:
| 1 – Denial | Denial is a conscious or unconscious refusal to accept facts, information, reality, etc., relating to the situation concerned. It’s a defense mechanism and perfectly natural. Some people can become locked in this stage when dealing with a traumatic change that can be ignored. Death of course is not particularly easy to avoid or evade indefinitely. |
| 2 – Anger | Anger can manifest in different ways. People dealing with emotional upset can be angry with themselves, and/or with others, especially those close to them. Knowing this helps keep detached and non-judgemental when experiencing the anger of someone who is very upset. |
| 3 – Bargaining | Traditionally the bargaining stage for people facing death can involve attempting to bargain with whatever God the person believes in. People facing less serious trauma can bargain or seek to negotiate a compromise. For example “Can we still be friends?..” when facing a break-up. Bargaining rarely provides a sustainable solution, especially if it’s a matter of life or death. |
| 4 – Depression | Also referred to as preparatory grieving. In a way it’s the dress rehearsal or the practice run for the ‘aftermath’ although this stage means different things depending on whom it involves. It’s a sort of acceptance with emotional attachment. It’s natural to feel sadness and regret, fear, uncertainty, etc. It shows that the person has at least begun to accept the reality. |
| 5 – Acceptance | Again this stage definitely varies according to the person’s situation, although broadly it is an indication that there is some emotional detachment and objectivity. People dying can enter this stage a long time before the people they leave behind, who must necessarily pass through their own individual stages of dealing with the grief. |
So, what happens when you put a comic spin on it? What it does is make death and the process of death a bit more acceptable. The show, "Robot Chicken," which is presented on the Cartoon Network channel during it's Adult Swim segment, has done just that. They take a giraffe who is about to die due to being stuck in quicksand, and follows him through the stages of the grieving process because he knows he's not going to make it. It is an accelerated look at grief that we all will experience.
The Source: EKR Foundation
