Existential Issues

Death anxiety is a complex phenomenon – a blend of many different emotions – that impacts people throughout their lives. Our existential fears can affect us on both an unconscious and conscious level. They can cause us to retreat from our goals or attempt to cut off our emotions. The arousal of death anxiety generally leads to an increased reliance on defensive behaviors and self-protective lifestyles. However, facing our feelings about death and loss can help us to live our lives with more purpose and meaning. Learn how life-affirming death awareness can lead to living a richer, more rewarding life.

Why Are People Afraid to Grow Up?

In a previous blog, “Living Life as an Authentic Adult,” I briefly described the reasons... >>

The Human Experience

Human beings are cursed with a conscious awareness of their own mortality. Human beings, unlike... >>

Paying Attention and Living Without Regret

The news of Nora Ephron’s death as a result of leukemia was such a shock.... >>

Life-Affirming Death Awareness

When I was a teenager, I realized that most people were living as though death... >>

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (H.E.O.P.): Interview with Dr. Sheldon Solomon

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (H.E.O.P.) Sheldon Solomon talks about a New York State program... >>

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on the Current Philosophical Climate in the United States: Exclusive Interview

The following transcript contains part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Firestone and Dr.... >>

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on Death Awareness and Psychological Growth: Exclusive Interview

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on Death Awareness and Psychological Growth Dr. Sheldon Solomon talks about death... >>

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on Defenses Against Death Anxiety

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on Defenses Against Death Anxiety Dr. Sheldon Solomon talks about common defenses... >>

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on Human Destructiveness: Exclusive Interview

The following transcript contains part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Firestone and Dr.... >>

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on the Empathetic Nature of Human Beings: Exclusive Interview

The following transcript contains part of an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Firestone and Dr.... >>