A qualitative research on the perception of death, religious and religious coping in ghassal profession

In this thesis, the profession of gassalism is discussed in the context of the psychology of religion. The aim of the study is to shed light on the motivations of gassals to start their profession, the stages they undergo in their professions, the social relations dimension of the profession, its effects on the psychology of their profession, their religious approach to their profession, how washing the dead affects their psychology, and finally, the psychological or spiritual support needs of gassals. In the study, in which the interview technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used, in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 13 gassals, 9 women and 4 men, who had at least 1 year of professional experience and worked in Istanbul. Descriptive analysis was performed on the data of the study in which the semi-structured interview form was used. As a result, it has been determined that the adventure of each gassal starting his profession and the different religious background cause different perceptions of death in them. It was observed that although they received negative reactions from their family and social circles due to their profession, they did not quit their jobs, and even the prejudices about their profession disappeared over time. It has been found that their professions affect their perception of death as well as shape some of their religious status. In the face of the difficulties they encountered, they often resorted to different religious coping methods. Finally, it has been determined that Spiritual Counseling and Guidance expert support can be beneficial in different subjects.