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Death Anxiety Scale

Do you dwell on death too much? Take this test to find out if you have 'thanatophobia.'

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

August 14, 2024

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Many of us often experience thoughts about our own mortality. While these reflections are natural, they can sometimes become overwhelming. They may either arise when we lose someone dear to us or when we worry about what will happen to our close peers when we are no longer there.

When such thoughts persist and evolve into a constant source of anxiety, they may lead to "thanatophobia." This phobia can manifest as either fear of death itself, particularly the uncertainty of what follows, or as the fear of the potentially painful process of dying.

These thoughts, although understandable, can significantly affect our mental well-being when they interfere with our daily lives. As "death anxiety," a specific phobia, is recognized as a form of generalized anxiety disorder, it's prudent to monitor and manage these thoughts to prevent them from becoming debilitating.

The Templer Death Anxiety Scale, developed by Donald Templer in 1970, is a reliable instrument for measuring death-related anxiety. With several items that evaluate various dimensions of thanatophobia, this scale is an essential tool for those hoping to manage and overcome the fear of death.

References: Templer, D. I. (1970). The construction and validation of a Death Anxiety Scale. The Journal of General Psychology, 82(2), 165–177.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. I am very much afraid to die.

2. The thought of death frequently enters my mind.

3. It makes me nervous when people talk about death.

4. I dread the thought of having to undergo an operation.

5. I am particularly afraid of getting cancer.

6. The thought of death often bothers me.

7. I am often distressed by how quickly time flies.

8. I fear dying a painful death.

9. The subject of life after death troubles me greatly.

10. I am really scared of having a heart attack.

11. I often think about how short life really is.

12. I shudder when I hear people talking about World War III.

13. The sight of a dead body is horrifying to me.

14. I feel that the future holds much to fear.

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.