Death needs, culture and emotional death proximity: Keys to intervene in social discrimination

Death valence is central to death attitudes. Previous literature suggests an association between positive death valence and a reduction of social discrimination. Psychosocial intervention in discrimination thus requires a deeper understanding of a good death. In a comparison between the foundational works with recent reviews on a good death, five death needs are detected. I claim that the automatic expectation of death need fulfilment constitutes death valence. This expectation depends on culture. In a brief overview of death cultures across history, I illustrate how death views foster or inhibit positive expectations about death need fulfilment. This is especially well documented for the US death culture. To promote social equity, death culture has to be changed. Cultural change can start out with psychosocial intervention in small groups that considers death needs, culture and the emotional proximity of death.