Why Does Ingroup Identification Shield People from Death Anxiety?

Research to date guided by terror management theory has demonstrated that mortality salience increases ingroup identification. However, the process that leads from death reminders to group investment has remained underinvestigated. We tested a model in which mortality salience increased the perceived continuity of the group while at the same time strengthening the perception of group entitativity. In turn, higher perceived group entitativity led to enhanced ingroup identification. Three-path mediation analysis showed that mortality salience transmitted its effects onto ingroup identification indirectly, progressing first through perceived collective continuity and then through ingroup entitativity. Moderated mediation analysis revealed that personal self-esteem and the need for closure did not moderate this effect of mortality salience on ingroup identification.

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Collective in exile: Utilizing terror management theory to understand women’s wailing performance

Transcultural Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/1363461517720059 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 523-539 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tova Gamliel

Keyword(s):

Death Anxiety ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Research Literature ◽

Community Context ◽

Management Theory ◽

Adaptive Value ◽

Traditional Performance

Although women’s wailing at death rites in various cultures typically amplifies mortality salience, this ritual phenomenon is absent in the research literature on terror management theory (TMT). This study explored Yemenite-Jewish wailing in Israel as an example of how a traditional performance manages death anxiety in a community context. Observations of wailing events and interviews with Yemenite-Jewish wailers and mourners in Israel were analyzed to understand respondents’ perceptions of the experience of wailing as well as the anxiety-oriented psychotherapeutic expertise involved. The findings are discussed to propose an alternative outlook on the intersubjective adaptive value of death anxiety. After describing TMT’s view on the role of culture in coping with death anxiety, I consider the extent to which Yemenite-Jewish wailing is consistent with the premises of TMT.

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Mindfulness of Death as a Tool for Mortality Salience Induction with Reference to Terror Management Theory

Religions ◽

10.3390/rel10060353 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 353

Author(s):

Hyun Gong Moon

Keyword(s):

Intrinsic Value ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Terror Management ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Social Attitudes ◽

Management Theory ◽

Cultural Worldview ◽

Mindfulness Of Death

In this article, I argue that “mindfulness of death” (maraṇasati) can be a tool to induce mortality salience and can have a positive psychological impact. The mindfulness of death is described in detail in the early Buddhist texts Aṅguttara Nikāya and Visuddhimagga. The texts stress that death should be consciously connected with temporality and mindfulness. Here, I look at the mindfulness of death in relation to the mortality salience of terror management theory. “Mortality salience” is a term proposed in terror management theory that means “the state of conscious activation of the thoughts of death”. In addition, after conscious activation of the thought of death, I examine the psychological changes, such as the increase of pro-social attitudes which emphasizes ethics and morality, and the emphasis on the intrinsic value of life due to the operation of a cultural worldview and self-esteem. In this paper, I conclude that mindfulness of death can be an effective tool to induce mortality salience.

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Are we truly special and unique? A replication of Goldenberg et al. (2001)

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.191114 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (11) ◽

pp. 191114 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Javier Rodríguez-Ferreiro ◽

Itxaso Barberia ◽

Jordi González-Guerra ◽

Miguel A. Vadillo

Keyword(s):

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Management Theory ◽

Cultural Worldview ◽

Link Type ◽

Aversive Situation

According to the mortality salience hypothesis of terror management theory, reminders of our future death increase the necessity to validate our cultural worldview and to enhance our self-esteem. In Experiment 2 of the study ‘I am not an animal: Mortality salience, disgust, and the denial of human creatureliness’, Goldenberg et al. (Goldenberg et al. 2001 J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 130 , 427–435. ( doi:10.1037/0096-3445.130.3.427 )) observed that participants primed with questions about their death provided more positive evaluations to an essay describing humans as distinct from animals than control participants presented with questions regarding another aversive situation. In a replication of this experiment conducted with 128 volunteers, we did not observe evidence for a mortality salience effect.

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Role of Social Detachment in Coping With Death Anxiety

OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying ◽

10.1177/0030222817726266 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 191-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saurabh Maheshwari ◽

Tuheena Mukherjee

Keyword(s):

Field Experiment ◽

Significant Role ◽

Death Anxiety ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Terror Management ◽

Adaptive Strategy ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Management Theory ◽

Coping With Death

The present research examines the strength of terror management theory in an indigenous Indian context of religious fair called Magh Mela. It explores how elderly Hindu people deal with death anxiety through practicing Kalpvas in Magh Mela. The research explores the role of social detachment and self-esteem in coping with terror of death. Study 1, a field experiment on 150 Kalpvasis (practitioners of Kalpvas) confirms the significant role of social detachment as an adaptive strategy for coping with death terror. The role of self-esteem did not emerge in the study. Study 2, another field experiment on 62 Kalpvasis confirms results of study 1. Significant role of years of Kalpvas on fear of death shows importance of the religious practices in managing terror related to death. The relation of terror management theory and death anxiety thus follows a different explanation for more indigenous contexts.

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Scuba Diving Risk Taking—A Terror Management Theory Perspective

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.26.2.269 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 269-282 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Gila Miller ◽

Orit Taubman–Ben-Ari

Keyword(s):

Risk Taking ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Scuba Diving ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Management Theory ◽

Preventive Strategy ◽

Practical Implications

This study examined, from a Terror Management Theory (TMT) perspective, the effects of death reminders on the tendency to take risks in diving. All participants (N = 124) completed Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale and a diving related self-efficacy questionnaire. Then half of them were exposed to a mortality salience induction and the other half to the control condition. The dependent variable was self-reported intentions to take risks in diving. Findings showed that mortality salience led to greater willingness to take risks in diving vs. control condition, but only among divers with low self-esteem and low diving related self-efficacy. In addition, mortality salience led to less willingness to take risks in diving vs. the control condition only for low self-esteem divers who possessed high diving related self-efficacy. However, no effects were found for high self-esteem persons. The results are discussed in view of the self-enhancing mechanisms proposed by TMT, offering practical implications regarding the need to increase divers’ self-esteem and self-efficacy as a preventive strategy.

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Terror management theory and self-esteem: Evidence that increased self-esteem reduced mortality salience effects.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ◽

10.1037/0022-3514.72.1.24 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 24-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 345

Author(s):

Eddie Harmon-Jones ◽

Linda Simon ◽

Jeff Greenberg ◽

Tom Pyszczynski ◽

Sheldon Solomon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Management Theory

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The end of immortality - Death dating and defense preprint

10.31234/osf.io/y8b9f ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Lena Frischlich ◽

Diana Rieger ◽

Gary Bente

Keyword(s):

Intimate Relationships ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Management Theory ◽

Group Status ◽

Cultural Worldview ◽

Group Members ◽

Interpersonal Level

Terror management theory (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986) posits that individuals defend against death-anxieties by striving for (symbolic) immortality. Immortality is promised by a symbolic anxiety buffer, which entails one’s (a) cultural worldview; (b) self-esteem; and (c) intimate relationships. Under conditions of mortality salience (MS), individuals prefer potential partners who validate their symbolic anxiety buffer (or are similar to them) over those who challenge it (or are different). Potential partners can be different on the intergroup level (i.e., out-group members) and on the interpersonal level (i.e., having different attitudes). Greenberg et al. (1986) suggested intergroup differences to pose a larger threat than interpersonal differences. So far, the relative threat resulting from differences on both levels has not been tested directly. In the current study, N = 195 women were randomly assigned to an MS (versus control) condition and shown a potential online date following a 2(group-membership) × 2(interpersonal similarity) design. Individuals’ (a) need for worldview validation; (b) state self-esteem; and (c) dating interest was measured. The results showed threats to the symbolic anxiety buffer due to intergroup but not due to interpersonal differences. Findings were obtained for validation needs and self-esteem but not for dating interest. Implications are discussed. Keywords: mortality salience, online dating, out-group status, attitudinal similarity, self-esteem, cultural worldview validation

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Vicarious Belongingness

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000045 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 133-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Julia Kneer ◽

Inna Hemme ◽

Gary Bente

Keyword(s):

Empirical Evidence ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Mere Exposure ◽

Management Theory ◽

Cultural Worldview

There is empirical evidence that mortality salience (MS) influences effects of advertisements. For instance, mere exposure to high-value goods can enhance cultural worldview and self-esteem and thus act as a buffer against existential anguish. Besides cultural worldview and self-esteem, close relationships can help to reduce existential anguish. Drawing upon terror management theory (TMT), the current study addressed the question of whether MS combined with emotional commercials influences perception of the ads as well as further behavior. We compared the effects of socioemotional versus informational ads after MS induction, measuring perceived emotionality of the ads, evaluation of ads and products, recall, and buying intention. Significant effects were found in all outcome variables, except for recall, supporting the hypothesis that under MS induction, commercials with a socioemotional content can enhance advertisement impact.

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Are we truly special and unique? A replication of Goldenberg et al. (2001)

10.31234/osf.io/rcjz9 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Javier Rodríguez-Ferreiro ◽

Itxaso Barberia ◽

Jordi González-Guerra ◽

Miguel A. Vadillo

Keyword(s):

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Management Theory ◽

Cultural Worldview ◽

Aversive Situation

According to the mortality salience hypothesis of terror management theory, reminders of our future death increase the necessity to validate our cultural worldview and to enhance our self-esteem. In Experiment 2 of the study “I am not an animal: Mortality salience, disgust, and the denial of human creatureliness”, Goldenberg et al. (2001) observed that participants primed with questions about their death provided more positive evaluations to an essay describing humans as distinct from animals than control participants presented with questions regarding another aversive situation. In a replication of this experiment conducted with 128 volunteers, we did not observe evidence for a mortality salience effect.

Download Full-text