Terror Management Theory

Abstract From the perspective of terror management theory (TMT), the awareness of death is problematic as it has the potential to increase anxiety. It would be hard to function when faced with this fear; thus, people defend themselves from heightened mortality awareness by adhering to their cultural beliefs (e.g., religion, nationalism), having positive self-views (i.e., self-esteem), and/or turning toward their relationships with close others. The purpose of the current volume is to introduce readers to the field of experimental existential psychology (broadly) and TMT (specifically). To do this, Section 1 will provide an introduction to the field, along with discussing methodological considerations when conducting terror management research. Section 2 was written to discuss some of the applied implications of TMT as it is relates to close relationships, religion, politics and law, positivity, and existential growth. Much work from a terror management tradition has been interested in how death concerns affect physical and psychological health. Because of this, Section 3 will introduce two variations of TMT (i.e., Terror Management Health Model [TMHM] & Anxiety-buffer Disruption Theory [ABDT]), with implications for individuals’ well-being. Finally, Section 4 will discuss alternative perspectives and controversies within the field. Throughout this volume, we provide a discussion on potential avenues of future study.

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African American Health and Posttraumatic Slave Syndrome: A Terror Management Theory Account

Journal of Black Studies ◽

10.1177/0021934718803737 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 45-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael J. Halloran

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

African Americans ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Terror Management ◽

Well Being ◽

Cultural Trauma ◽

Management Theory ◽

American People ◽

Posttraumatic Slave Syndrome ◽

The Impact

The aim of this article is to explicate a terror management theory (TMT) analysis of the poor social and psychological well-being of African Americans by drawing upon a model of cultural trauma to explain the antecedents and effects of posttraumatic slave syndrome. Cultural trauma is defined as a state that occurs when a people’s cultural worldview has been destabilized to the point where it does not effectively meet its TMT function of providing a buffer against basic anxiety and uncertainty. The article outlines how the impact of slavery was a significant trauma to African American people, which was carried forward through successive generations; providing an explanation of their current anxiety-related conditions, poor health, and maladaptive behaviors. Findings from health and justice research and qualitative data from narratives of African Americans are presented to substantiate the adaptation of a model of cultural trauma for understanding the contemporary situation of African Americans.

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Subliminal Exposure to Death-Related Stimuli Increases Defense of the Cultural Worldview

Psychological Science ◽

10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00429.x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 379-385 ◽

Cited By ~ 169

Author(s):

Jamie Arndt ◽

Jeff Greenberg ◽

Tom Pyszczynski ◽

Sheldon Solomon

Keyword(s):

Cultural Beliefs ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Management Theory ◽

Cultural Worldview ◽

Subliminal Stimulus ◽

Pain Stimuli

Three experiments reported here provide empirical support for the hypothesis derived from terror management theory that unconscious concerns about death motivate allegiance to cultural beliefs Study 1 contrasted exposure to a subliminal death-related stimulus, a standard mortality-salience treatment, and a neutral subliminal stimulus, and found that both the subliminal and the standard reminder of mortality led to more favorable evaluations of people who praised subjects' cultural worldview and more unfavorable evaluations of those who challenged it Study 2 replicated this finding by comparing the effects of exposure to subliminal death stimuli and subliminal pain stimuli Study 3 contrasted subliminal death stimuli, supraliminal death stimuli, and subliminal pain stimuli and found that only subliminal death stimuli produced these effects

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The Body Stripped Down

Current Directions in Psychological Science ◽

10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00369.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 224-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Jamie L. Goldenberg

Keyword(s):

Cultural Beliefs ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Terror Management ◽

The Body ◽

Management Theory ◽

Cultural Standards ◽

Women's Appearance ◽

Existential Concerns

According to terror management theory, cultural beliefs and standards provide protection from fears associated with mortality by convincing individuals that their existence matters more than that of any mere mortal animal. The body threatens the efficacy of such mechanisms by reminding us that we are animals nonetheless, and therefore fated to death. I present research demonstrating that existential concerns contribute to uneasiness with the body, especially regarding sex, and also to pervasive concerns with how the body measures up to cultural standards, most obviously regarding women's appearance. These findings show that in effort to defend against threats associated with the body's physicality, people may deny themselves pleasure and endanger their health.

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Albert Camus – A Psychobiographical Approach in Times of Covid-19

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644579 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Claude-Hélène Mayer

Keyword(s):

Meaning In Life ◽

Terror Management Theory ◽

Terror Management ◽

Albert Camus ◽

Well Being ◽

Management Theory ◽

Future Research ◽

French History ◽

Political Activist ◽

History Of

Albert Camus (1913–1960) stands as one of the famous pioneers in the French history of existentialism. He was a novelist, political activist, essayist and editor, as well as a journalist and playwright. Although he was described as philosopher, he often denied this ascription. Through his professional and creative expressions, Camus focused on questions of existentialism, the aspect of the human fate, and meaning in life, death and suicide. These existential questions have experienced a strong revival during the Covid-19 occurrence. This psychobiographical approach aims at understanding Albert Camus' life and work in the context of the terror management theory of Becker and Wong's 4 pillars of PP2.0 theory, namely virtue, meaning, resilience and well-being. Both theories have gained importance during the pandemic. Based on the findings of the research study, implications for future research in the context of the pandemic are given. Finally, this article provides recommendations and best practices on how to approach the Covid-19 pandemic from a terror management theory and PP2.0 perspective in the light of Albert Camus' philosophy. The contribution of this psychobiography is two-fold: first, it expands psychobiographical research on Albert Camus from absurdist and existentialist theories and thereby expands the theoretical framework of psychobiographies. Second, it aims at strengthening the importance of theoretical psychobiographical investigations and their application in real-world scenarios to address complex contemporary challenges on the basis of existentialist positive psychology theories.

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Dying to Watch

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000079 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 55-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Laramie D. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Terror Management Theory ◽

Terror Management ◽

Management Theory ◽

Media Content ◽

Sexual Content ◽

Entertainment Media ◽

Sexual Values ◽

Television Shows ◽

Sexual Cognitions ◽

Sexual Media

Research has shown that thoughts about death influence sexual cognitions and some media choices. The present study tested the hypothesis that thoughts about death may affect individuals’ tendency to select or avoid entertainment media programming containing sexual material. In two experiments, thoughts about death (mortality salience [MS]) were manipulated before college undergraduates expressed interest in viewing television shows and movies with varying amounts of sexual content. In both studies, MS was associated with greater overall interest in sexual media content. Although terror management theory would indicate that sexual worldview should moderate this effect, this was not observed to be the case. In addition, MS was not found to affect interest in other types of highly engaging media content including violent and dramatic content. Limitations regarding generalizability are discussed. Results suggest that MS increases a preference for sexual media content, and that this occurs for individuals with diverse sexual values systems. This is discussed in terms of implications for terror management theory and cognitive models of media influence.

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When Death Is Compelling

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000252 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 46 (6) ◽

pp. 352-360 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Simon Schindler ◽

Marc-André Reinhard

Keyword(s):

Terror Management Theory ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Terror Management ◽

Management Theory ◽

Control Group ◽

Norms And Values ◽

Hypothetical Scenario ◽

The Face ◽

Scenario Study ◽

Norm Of Reciprocity

Abstract. Research on terror management theory has found evidence that people under mortality salience strive to live up to activated social norms and values. Recently, research has shown that mortality salience also increases adherence to the norm of reciprocity. Based on this, in the current paper we investigated the idea that mortality salience influences persuasion strategies that are based on the norm of reciprocity. We therefore assume that mortality salience should enhance compliance for a request when using the door-in-the-face technique – a persuasion strategy grounded in the norm of reciprocity. In a hypothetical scenario (Study 1), and in a field experiment (Study 2), applying the door-in-the-face technique enhanced compliance in the mortality salience condition compared to a control group.

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