Terror Management Theory Prague, Czech Republic

1. Terror Management Theory Prague, Czech Republic

2. TMT and Existential Psychology • Existential psychology began in reaction to Freud’s theories • Both Freudian and existential approaches explore the motivational consequences of human (unconscious) conflicts • However, they differ in which conflicts fundamentally influence human behavior • For Freud the conflict is sex and agression • For existentialists it’s our search for meaning, freedom, coherence ultimately stemmed from the fear of death

3. TMT Beginning • TMT developers: Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, and Sheldon Solomon • Penned theoretical papers explaining TMT’s principles (1986) • Theory is based on Ernest Becker’s (1976) The Denial of Death

4. TMT: Main Tenets • Fear of death is • innate • universal • unique to humans • Self-awareness leads to death awareness (i.e. recognition that death is unstoppable and unpredictable) • Fear of death fundamental source of human conflict and anxiety • Death naturally conflicts with our powerful self-preservation and freedom instincts

5. TMT: Main Tenets • Ultimate motive: to manage this terror • Thus, TMT holds that human behavior fundamentally demonstrates how we cope or manage this anxiety – this terror – of death • But how often do we think about death? • We learn to automatically – that is, unconsciously – repress and manage the fear of death using a “dual-component buffer”:

6. TMT: Main Tenets • Initial reaction to death awareness is conscious suppression of death thoughts – Generally successful (low DTA) • After delay, unconscious DTA increases • Activates psychological strategies to defend against death terror: • Focus on one’s culture (more enduring than the individual; provides meaning and support) • Focus on self-esteem

7. 1. Mortality Salience hypothesis… • …states that when people are reminded of death (mortality salience), they will use various terror management (defense) mechanisms to rid death thoughts from the mind to return to a composed psychological state • Seeing that culture is vital to ward off death anxiety, people should defend their worldviews after mortality salience (i.e., elicit worldview defense) • Worldview defense can either involve • a) criticizing others’ disparate worldviews or • b) praising others who uphold your worldview

8. Your worldview sucks! I’m going to live forever! DELAY Proximal Effects Distal Effects

9. First empirical studies… • Rosenblatt et al. (1989): • Completed mortality questionnaire (write about your death) or not • Judges read case brief and then allotted bail to the alleged prostitute • $ amount ranged from $1 - $999 • Results: • After mortality salience: $455 vs. • Control condition: $50

10. Rosenblatt et al. (1989) cont. • Also added “heroine condition” in which P’s allotted reward amount to female who apprehended thief ($1,000 - $4,000) • After mortality salience: $3,476 vs. • Control condition: $1,112

11. Mortality Salience: Results • MS not only affects attitudes… • e.g., increased derogation of various outgroup members (e.g., Christians vs. Jews) • But also overt behavioral responses… • Increased aggression against worldview transgressors (e.g., allotted more hot sauce to targets who criticized one’s political views) • Decreased affiliation with dissimilar others (e.g., where one chooses, if at all, to sit with worldview threats) • And death thought accessibility • BUT ONLY AFTER A DELAY

12. 2. The Anxiety Buffer hypothesis • …states that high self-esteem, shields individuals from experiencing (death) anxiety • Empirical research says… • Greenberg et al. (1992): High self-esteem lessened self-reported anxiety… • in anticipation of electric shocks • in response to graphic video • in response to receiving information detailing a short life expectancy • Self-esteem also moderated P’s physiological response in anticipation of electric shocks