The Denial of Death

Becker continues his discussion of heroism. Specifically, he argues that ancient cultures and religions often presented the hero as someone who descended into the underworld of death and returned alive. This tendency reflects humanity’s own fear of death.

Next, Becker describes various psychological views about the fear of death, First, Becker describes the “healthy-minded” argument. It is a popular view from modern psychology that views fear of death as an unhealthy attitude that emerges from a bad upbringing from the mother (13-14). The second view Becker describes is the “morbidly-minded” argument. In this view, the fear of death is both natural and universal. Becker sides with this argument (15). Although death constantly concerns people on an instinctive level, on a conscious level people have to repress that fear.

Further, Becker argues that children grow up believing that reality is shaped by their desires. Their caretakers attend to them when they become upset, but when their caretakers deny their desires, the child may develop hostile emotions toward their caretakers. Due to the complicated fact that children are both helpless and feel that their emotions have power, children have what Becker calls a weak or “immature ego.