Describe adults' understanding of death and their reaction to it.

Answers will vary. Most young adults in developed nations need not spend much time thinking about the possibility of their deaths. The leading causes of death in early adulthood are accidents, suicide, and homicide. Except for those living in high-risk environments such as war zones, some inner cities, or, in the case of women, places where there are high rates of maternal death during pregnancy and childbirth, young adults do not often die. Heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and, for women,   complications of pregnancy, remain less common causes of death in the United States. In middle adulthood, heart disease and cancer have become the leading causes of death. People are advised to become proactive by screening for cardiovascular problems and several kinds of cancer. There are some gender differences with kinds of cancer, but educated women and men become aware that age is a risk factor for both heart disease and cancer, and they are likely to become aware of middle-aged people who died "untimely" deaths from these diseases. Heart disease and cancer remain the leading causes of death in late adulthood. As people move into advanced old age, many should no longer be driving due to loss of sensory acuity and slowed reaction time. They are also more prone to falls. Alzheimer's disease and other dementias increase greatly. Some older people come to fear disability and discomfort nearly as much as death. Theorists of social and emotional development in late adulthood suggest that ego transcendence, or concern for the well-being of humankind in general, enables some people to begin to face death with an inner calm. On the other hand, continuing with physical, leisure, and informal social activities are all associated with greater life satisfaction among older, retired people. There is no single formula for coping with physical decline and the approach of death.