Kübler-ross, Elisabeth

Related Category: Psychology and Psychiatry: Biographies

(k´blr-rôs´), 1926–, American psychiatrist, b. Switzerland. After studying medicine at the Univ. of Zürich (M.D. 1957), Kübler-Ross became a pioneer in the field of thanatology, the study of death and dying. Her influential On Death and Dying (1969) mapped out a five-stage framework to explain the experience of dying patients, which progressed through denial, anger, bargaining with God, depression, and acceptance. A prolific writer, Kübler-Ross's work has had lasting significance among the medical community, who have generally become more responsive to the needs of dying patients and their families. See also hospice.