Just saying the word “funeral” can evoke strong emotional responses in people. This may result as a function of Terror Management Theory (TMT), which seeks to address the anxiety that people experience when they are confronted with the inevitable end-state of the human experience, known specifically as mortality salience, and also explain the relationship between this anxiety and a pronounced narrowing of cultural world views (Greenberg, et al., 1990). This phenomenon causes people to associate more closely with their individual cultural identity, while becoming conversely less tolerant of divergent cultural identities; the effect increasing as self-esteem decreases (Sander L. Koole, 2014). Research into the practical application of TMT has returned several notable associations that speak directly to the concerns of organizational leadership. Funeral directors may find this relationship of particular interest due to the potential to experience mortality salience far more often than people in professions that do not confront death in the same way.
As a funeral director, I was, during a couple different times, acutely burdened by the pain that surrounded me. Those periods are marked in my memory by the realization that grief was consuming me; pushing aside the traits that had drawn me to the profession. My mood at home was often strained and my empathy was certainly drained. I felt this compulsion to remind people that circumstances less than the profundity of death were trivial matters. My replies to my closest friends and family members were, so often, oozing with hostility and contempt. Instead of pulling back from work, I plunged deeper in. I knew that I was in troubled territory when several of my friends checked in on me and specifically, my marriage. I hadn’t, at that point, realized how my process of burning out was affecting my husband. I was, therefore, extremely surprised by the well-intentioned inquiries of my friends. I had engaged an enemy called compassion fatigue, also known in the business as funeral director fatigue, a stress disorder characterized by compulsive behaviors like binge eating and over-spending, blaming and shaming behaviors, emotional numbness, substance use as an escape from stress, irritability, ambiguous pain that has no physiological cause, exhaustion, insomnia and difficulty concentrating (Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, 2013). I was blindsided by this showing up in my life. I had been working in the business since before I started college. I was aware of what I had signed up for. I felt weak and fragile. I felt that I didn’t have the right to feel burdened or anxious. I felt a lot of shame, like I was a failure or a fake. I needed to face my pain and establish a balance between an open-door policy, service to the community and the boundaries I required to maintain my mental health. Now, many years later, I am looking back with new questions regarding my job performance, specifically my interactions with the grieving families and to a lesser degree, my coworkers.
Mortality salience, and the relationship it has with reinforcing bias, was studied to look for a link between mortality salience and ethnocentrism. Reports of multicultural counseling competence (MCC), from a sample of students in doctoral-level counseling programs, were evaluated from compiling the findings from a variety of assessment techniques (Ivers, 2009). This research was inspired by the increased potential of counselors, as opposed to other professionals, to be exposed to mortality salience while engaged in therapy with clients. The findings showed significant evidence that supports TMT as a theory; when faced with mortality the natural response is to dampen that anxiety by leaning on the familiarity of one’s own cultural identity. This drive to maintain psychological equanimity was negatively correlated with acceptance of different worldviews as measured by the MCC (Ivers, 2009). The participants in the Ivers (2009) study perceived their interactions with clients during therapy to be less empathetic and more judgmental or disparaging thoughts (pp. 179-184). The implications of this study on the funerary profession have the potential to be extensive. As the trend of cultural diversification continues with the increased mobility of world populations and the influence of technology, the importance of a keen appreciation regarding issues of cultural sensitivity will continue to expand. This nexus of potentially damaging biases and mortality salience is shown to exist across professions and without regard to the demographics of the treatment group, making the reach of these findings even greater (Greenberg, et al., 1990).
Cohen et al. (2004) explored the likeability of three leadership styles, including task-oriented, relationship-oriented and charismatic leaders (pp. 179-184). The three leadership styles were evaluated by a control group that received no death reminder from the leaders during a brief presentation. The three styles were then appraised by treatment group that had been primed with death reminders. The study concluded, defining a preference for the charismatic leader over the relationship-oriented leader in the mortality-salient group (Cohen, Ogilvie, Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynski, 2005). Charismatic leaders exhibit dominant and self-confident personalities, but they are further defined by behavior that is competent and oriented toward morality and clear articulation of task specific goals; all of these traits combine to inspire followers to identify with, and emulate, desirable qualities of the leader (Northouse, 2013). I have no official measures of my own leadership style from before, during or after my first bout of burn out, so I don’t know if I became more or less likeable as a leader. I was, however, certainly running low on charm. I was deeply devoted to my position. I worked hard to provide compassionate leadership from the first call through any aftercare needs the family might have had. If I had ever been a charismatic leader, though, the state that I was in was not conducive to captivating anyone. In the broader scope of mortuary science as a profession with a diverse set of leadership roles, the Cohen et al. (2004) study could aid in matching the competencies of potential applicants to positions tailored for their leadership style.
To reduce the impact of TMT, mortality salience and worldview defense, several suggestions came from the results of the various studies I reviewed. Cohen et al. (2004) finds that during times of increased stress related to existential anxieties, the normal course of decision making is skewed to favor the choice that diminishes the death anxiety (pp. 184-185). This may alternatively be expressed as a propensity to identify with a leader who embraces values that would lessen the death anxiety. In order to mitigate this effect, it was found that leaders involved in actively advocating for logical decision making brings about reduction of the incidence of emotion-driven responses (Cohen, Ogilvie, Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynski, 2005). Directly confronting personal bias is the key to reducing the impact of worldview defense after priming with reminders of mortality. With increased multicultural awareness acting as an antagonist of prejudicial thoughts and behaviors, ensuring that all funeral staff is educated in this area is a sound business model that promotes better business relations with the larger community. For mortuary science educational leaders, this research suggests a need for effecting opportunities for students to increase awareness of cultural biases. Finally, the mortality salience paradigm necessitates funerary workers, as well as other professionals who have intimate work connections with death, be involved in frank discussions that contend with the latent anxieties about accepting the impermanence of the human condition.
Although I am no longer working in the profession, I cannot downplay the importance of a funeral director who is engaged, compassionate and well trained. Building a bridge between funeral services and psychology can only serve to improve interactions in times of need. Initiatives for funeral professionals, that remind providers of the necessity for self-care, should be established early in training. By the time I recognized and accepted that I was drowning in the grief of the families who I served, I had already damaged my personal relationships. Using some of the suggestions noted above, funeral directors in various leadership roles can facilitate improved customer interactions, inspired leadership development and a more holistic approach to thanatology.
If you would like to measure your potential for compassion fatigue follow this link to explore a compassion fatigue self-assessment.
Click here to assess the negative and positive affects resultant of normal emotional responses to caring for someone who has experienced loss or trauma. The ProQOL is the most commonly used measure of compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue.
–Annemargaret M.
References
Cohen, F., Ogilvie, D. M., Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. (2005). American Roulette: The Effect of Reminders of Death. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, Vol. 5, No. 1, 177–187.
Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project. (2013). Recognizing Compassion Fatigue. Retrieved from Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project: http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/symptoms.html
Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Veeder, M., Pysczynski, Rosenblatt, A., Kirkland, S., & Lyon, D. (1990). Evidence for terror management theory II: The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who threaten or bolster the cultural worldview. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 308-318.
Ivers, N. (2009). Mortality Salience and Worldview Defense: The Effect of Death Awareness on Multicultural Counseling Competence. Retrieved from University of North Carolina: http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Ivers_uncg_0154D_10108.pdf
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Transformational Leadership. In P. G. Northouse, Leadership Theory and Practice (pp. 187-189). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Sander L. Koole, M. T. (2014). Embodied Terror Management: Interpersonal Touch Alleviates Existential Concerns Among Individuals With Low Self-Esteem. Psychological Science, 30-37.