Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death

How does Yalom distinguish between a healthy versus an unhealthy awareness of death? Can too much awareness affect someone negatively? Provide examples from the text to support your argument.

Evaluate the role of gender in Yalom’s approach to addressing death anxiety. Do people of different genders express death anxieties in particular ways, or does the expression of these fears transcend gender boundaries? Provide examples from the text.

Compare and contrast Yalom’s existential approach to dream interpretation with Jungian dream theory. How do these systems overlap, and where do they differ? What are the strengths and limitations of each approach?

Analyze Yalom’s use of Epicurean philosophy throughout the book. How effectively does the argument “Where death is, I am not; where I am, death is not” address modern death anxiety (81)?

Examine the concept of “rippling” as presented by Yalom. How does this idea provide an alternative to traditional religious concepts of immortality, and what are its limitations?

Discuss Yalom’s assertion that humans are the only creatures for whom existence itself becomes a problem. How does he prove this is true? Is there any way to know how other creatures experience their existence?

What are the most controversial ideas in Yalom’s work? Why do critics argue against these ideas, and what evidence do they use in their counterarguments? Use outside sources to support your argument.

Analyze the therapeutic challenges Yalom faces with patients like Patrick (the airline pilot) where the therapeutic alliance fails to develop. What lessons do these cases offer about the limitations of existential therapy?