View of life and death as a factor of the longevity -structure and function in Okinawa-

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The propose of this paper is to consider our hypothesis : a view of life and death supported by Okinawan peculiar religion has been useful for Okinawan people in relaxing stress, and further been a factor of the longevity of Okinawan people. We adopted various approaches ; social psychology, gerontological psychology, and mental health.We carried out questionnaire researches in homes for the aged, field work in community, content analysis of notes of Okinawan shaman "yuta", and content analysis of Okinawan literary work. And thus the following results about the view of life and death were obtained. Old people in Okinawa did not think that their own death resulted in the breaking off the relation with their family. The main reason was that people has believed the cosmology based on ancestor worship, the relation of a person in the next world with his family in this world was maintained by "uchato" (a daily work, offering tea and praying to person in the next world) and various annual events. Therefor it was need for the aged to get family's in this world promise to pray. This promise was a requirement to death without worry and a duty. Doing events of ancestor worship was useful for Okinawan people, especially old women, to relax their stress and maintain their mental health. Old people in the home for the aged have felt psychological conflict and their idea, and there was the gap between the ideal and the real about their own death.As a whole Okinawan peculiar religion as a factor Okinawan longevity and actual problems for the aged were considered.