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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–4Cite as

Death Anxiety Scale

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Synonyms

DAS

Definition

Death anxiety is a relatively stable personality trait referring to a negative attitude toward and negative affect and cognitions concerning death and dying, whether of self or significant others, or the idea of death in general. It is most commonly assessed using a simple 15-item self-report questionnaire using a Likert response format, although many revisions and extensions of the measure have permitted a broader and more adequate assessment of distress concerning human mortality.

Introduction

Anxiety is a universal human emotion, characterized by feelings of worry, insecurity, tension, and anticipation of future misfortune or danger. There are many types of situations that induce anxiety, ranging from participation in social gatherings, school examinations, or sexual encounters to existential concerns related to mortality. The Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), developed by Templer (1970) nearly 50 years ago, represents one classic attempt to study the latter area....

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

    Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek

  2. University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

    Robert A. Neimeyer

Authors
  1. Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek
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  2. Robert A. Neimeyer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA

    Brendan Clark

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Abdel-Khalek, A.M., Neimeyer, R.A. (2017). Death Anxiety Scale. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_21-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_21-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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