Social values and decision making: a generation in the lifeboat.
The author introduced the "Lifeboat"exercise as a death-and-dying teaching technique in an article that appeared in the first volume of Death Studies (J. A.Thorson, 1978). It is a classroom exercise designed to illustrate the varying levels of social value placed on terminally ill patients. Using "Lifeboat" with different groups in succeeding years, the author has seen changes in the ways that individuals playing different roles are perceived by the audience. These reactions may indicate changes in social values.
Thorson
James A
JA
Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA. jthorson@unom.aba.edu
D000367:Age Factors; D003643:Death; D003657:Decision Making; D004989:Ethics; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013664:Teaching Materials; D019452:Terminally Ill; D026712:Value of Life