HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ERNEST BECKER AND EBF

Hello EBF friends and Becker fans. This year we celebrate a double anniversary: 50 years since Becker’s The Denial of Death, and 30 years of the Ernest Becker Foundation! This newsletter is dedicated to highlighting what has been accomplished in that time, and what’s in store for the future.

When the EBF began, it started as nine friends in a living room on Mercer Island. Today, the EBF has over 4000 supporters and has reached many thousands of people – worldwide – through our public education programs.

Examining the love of violence has been an ongoing priority for the EBF. Over the years we have considered violence in the context of war, domestic violence, police brutality, gang violence, terrorism, bullying, violence in the media, religious and political strife, racial prejudice and discrimination, sexism, toxic leadership, and climate destruction. Our mission is to advance our understanding of death anxiety, so that we may live together more peacefully.

Since EBF’s inception we have seen the trajectory of a highly productive field of research inspired by Becker’s work – Terror Management Theory – as well as cultural progress towards death acceptance (e.g. death cafes, green burial options, courses on death anxiety, and organizations dedicated to helping people with grief and end of life planning – check out our death acceptance newsletter for a deeper dive).

In this issue, we interview four people whose work demonstrates Becker’s ongoing influence in different sectors — academic research, the arts, clinical psychology, and death education — as well as highlight milestones and fun facts. We hope you enjoy and thank you for your ongoing support.