The Meaning of Death for Children and Adolescents: a Phenomenographic Study of Drawings

Qualitative & gender differences in concepts of death were studied in a sample of 431 children & adolescents. Subjects were asked to draw their impression of the word death & to give a verbal commentary on what they had drawn. Drawings were analyzed according to a phenomenographic method. Biologic death concepts dominated the younger age groups, & metaphysical death concepts were found predominantly in the older age groups. Boys had more violent death concepts & more often personified death.