Abstract:

At the same time, tanatophobia represents the fundamental power element of behavior that predetermines the contents of the personality and its destiny. Tanatophobia is perceived as the “key problem” not only in the context of investigating and curing emotional and behavioral disturbances, but also as a “leverage” to exert pressure on the society. It is the fear of death that makes the basis for the information clips posted on the Internet by the representatives of terrorist organizations. Therefore, it is very important that tanatophobia should be studied from the perspectives of different sciences; its prerequisites and the opportunities to prevent this phenomenon should be analyzed. Method: The principal method of the investigation of tanatophobia is represented by systemic approach that makes it possible, first, to consider the fear of death from the perspectives of the junction of several branches of science, such as, in the first place, psychology, philosophy, medicine; and, second, to reveal the specifics of tanatophobia through the prism of different aspects: ontological, epistemological, axiological, praxeological and anthropological. While analyzing tanatophobia, special attention is paid to the methodological principle of the correlation that exists between the natural and the social. The application of this methodological principle makes it possible to prove that tanatophobia can represent a biosocial mechanism of the formation of social events and phenomena; i.e. it simultaneously possesses both biological and social nature which explains the power of its effects on the processes of human and social life. Findings: The study reveals the specifics of tanatophobia from different perspectives of its perception and shows the role of tanatophobia in life of man and society in general. The emphasis is laid on the fact that the fear of death is not just a destructive factor that destabilizes the normal functions of consciousness and body of man and that generates the destructive processes in social groups, but also that it is the mechanism that facilitates the development of the community.

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