Which field studies the concept of death?

Thanatology is the field dedicated to the study of death and the practices associated with it. This includes understanding the psychological, social, and cultural aspects of dying, grieving, and bereavement. The discipline examines various topics related to death, such as the biological processes of dying, the emotional responses to the loss of loved ones, rituals surrounding death, and ethical considerations in end-of-life care.

Thanatologists may also address how different cultures perceive death and the meaning it holds within various communities. By focusing on these dimensions, thanatology contributes valuable insights into how individuals and societies cope with the reality of mortality, making it a comprehensive field dedicated specifically to understanding death in its many contexts.

The other options deal with specific aspects related to death or psychological phenomena but do not encompass the broader study of death itself. For instance, suicidal ideation pertains to thoughts about self-harm and suicide. Suppression refers to the psychological defense mechanism of consciously inhibiting thoughts, emotions, or memories, while survivor guilt relates to the feelings of guilt experienced by someone who has survived a traumatic event when others did not. These concepts are important in their own right but do not represent the systematic study of death that thanatology does.