급격한 의학과 과학의 발달로 우리사회는 고령화 사회로 접어들었다. 통계청이 발표한 2015년도 고령자 통계에 따르면 우리나라의 65세 이상인구는 총 657만 명으로 전체인구에서 차지하는 비중이 13%를 넘어섰다. 전체 인구에서 고령자가 차지하는 비율은 2000년 7.3%, 2005년 9.3%, 2010년 11.3%, 2015년 13.2%로 계속 높아지고 있으며 2017년 8월말 현재 우리나라 65세 이상 인구는 총 726만 명으로 전체 인구에서 차지하는 비중이 13.8%로 고령사회로 들어섰다고 발표하였다. 그것은 고령화가 급속도로 진행되고 있음을 보여준다. 그로 인해 고령자 인구 증가와 함께 눈여겨보아야 할 부분은 삶의 질과 죽음의 질을 살펴 볼 필요가 있다. 경제협력개발기구(OECD)에서 발표한 우리나라는 2017년도 ‘삶의 질(Better Life Index)‘지수가 회원국 38개국 중 29위로 머물러 있고, 2013년도 영국 경제 주간 이코노미스트 산하기관인(EIU)에서 ‘죽음의 질 지수(Quality of Death Index)’ 또한 40개국 중에서 32번째라고 밝혔다. 인간은 태어나고 자라고 늙어서 죽는다. 그러므로 노년기 진입을 앞두고 있는 중장년층에 대한 이론적 탐색과 죽음의 태도, 자아 통합감, 사회적 자본을 분석하기 위한 이론적 근거를 제시하고자 한다.

Due to the development of science and medicine, our society has become an aging society with an average number of people. According to the statistics released by National Statistical Office in 2015, the number of people aged 65 and over in korea is 6.57million, which is over 13% of the total population. The proportion of elderly people in the total population is increasing as 7.3% in 2000, 9.3% in 2005, 11.3% in 2010 and 13.2% in 2015.
As of the end of August 2017, The total number of people aged 65 and over in korea is 7.26million, accounting for 13.8% of the total population, announced that they have entered into an aged society. It shows that aging is progressing rapidly. As a result, there is a need to look at the quality of life and the quality of death that need to be watched with the increase in the elderly population. OECD announced that the better life index in 2017 was 29th among the 38nations of the member nations and that Quality of Death Index was also the 32nd in 40 countries in 2013 at EIU. Humans die from birth, growth and aging. Therefore, the theoretical basis for analyzing the theoretical exploration of the middle-aged class and the attitude of death, Ego Integrity, social capital is presented. The purpose of this study is as follows.
First, there is significance by establishing a hypothetical model of the attitude of death among the middle-aged class and verifying the relationship of the variables. Social capital can see a complex situation related to the attitudes toward death of middle-aged people by identifying the mediating effects of self-integration, an independent variable of network, participation, and trust, on attitudes toward death. This suggests implications for the attitudes toward death and the perception of life, focusing on the demographic factors such as demographics factors and psychological factors affecting attitudes toward death.
Second, the purpose of this study is to review the factors affecting the ego integration by examining the relationship between social capital and attitude toward death.
The purpose of this study is to provide theoretical support and social welfare that contribute to the practical aspect of death education by exploring and analyzing whether social capital can accept the death of middle-aged people and reduce death anxiety.

국문초록
 Ⅰ. 서 론
  1. 문제 제기 및 필요성
 Ⅱ. 이론적 탐색
  1. 중장년층에 대한 이론적 탐색
  2. 죽음의 태도에 대한 이론적 탐색
  3. 자아 통합감의 이론적 탐색
  4. 사회적 자본의 이론적 탐색
 Ⅲ. 결론 및 제언
 참고문헌
 ABSTRACT

• 박만자(서울한영대학교) | Man-Ja Park (Seoul Hanyoung University Graduate School Department of Social Welfare)