Transactional Experiences of Existential Anxiety as a Barrier to Effective Humanistic Intervention

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel Hunter ◽  
Tristan V. Barsky
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
The Other ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Emotional Difficulties ◽  
Existential Anxiety ◽  
Humanistic Approach

There are some who criticize mainstream mental health approaches and point out that individuals in distress appear to be getting worse, as opposed to better, while in treatment. Ex-patients often advocate for a person-centered, humanistic approach to working with emotional distress, while clinicians tend to offer a disease-based, deficit-focused model. This article is an exploration of the dynamics between patients and professionals that may be contributing to conflicting perspectives on what constitutes helpful intervention. Specifically, concepts of terror management theory are used to explore how the existential anxieties experienced both by individuals with serious emotional difficulties as well as their treating clinicians, which are consciously or unconsciously avoided in treatment, can reciprocally trigger distressing anxiety in the other. Suggestions are offered as to what could help mitigate this existential stalemate in the psychotherapeutic context.

To the Victors Go the Existential Spoils: The Mental-Health Benefits of Cultural Worldview Defense for People WHO Successfully Meet Cultural Standards and Valued Goals

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 276-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candice Hubley ◽  
Joseph Hayes ◽  
Mary Harvey ◽  
Santina Musto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Worldview Defense ◽  
Cultural Worldview ◽  
Mental Health Benefits ◽  
Cultural Standards

Introduction: Research in support of terror management theory suggests that mortality concerns will activate symbolic defenses associated with cultural worldviews, and when these defenses are activated, mental health will benefit. However, no study to date has examined this process in full. We filled this gap, while testing the moderating effect of feeling successful vis-à-vis cultural value-standards. Method: In two studies, we hypothesized that participants who feel successful at meeting cultural standards would engage cultural worldview defense (WVD) following mortality salience (MS), and as a consequence of their defensiveness, would experience greater mental health. Results: In Study 1, MS increased pro-American WVD only among relatively wealthy participants, which in turn reduced death-thought accessibility. In Study 2, MS increased pro-American WVD only among participants primed with felt success (vs. failure), which in turn reduced anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Culture can relieve death-related distress and promote mental health to the extent that it provides feelings of success.

scholarly journals Teaching the Climate Crisis: Existential Considerations

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathryn Van Kessel
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Existential Anxiety ◽  
Ethical Imperative ◽  
The Future ◽  
Climate Crisis

It is urgent that educators in social studies and science (among other disciplines) consider the ethical imperative of teaching the climate crisis—the future is at stake. This article considers a barrier to teaching this contentious topic effectively: existential threat. Through the lens of terror management theory, it becomes clear that climate catastrophe is an understandably fraught topic as it can serve as a reminder of death in two ways. As will be explained in this article, simultaneously such discussions can elicit not only mortality salience from considering the necrocene produced by climate catastrophe, but also existential anxiety arising from worldview threat. This threat can occur when Western assumptions are called into question as well as when there is disagreement between those with any worldviews that differ. After summarizing relevant aspects of terror management theory and analyzing the teaching of the climate crisis as an existential affair, specific strategies to help manage this situation (in and out of the classroom) are explored: providing conceptual tools, narrating cascading emotions, carefully using humor to diffuse anxiety, employing language and phrasing that does not overgeneralize divergent groups, and priming ideas of tolerance and even nurturance of difference.

scholarly journals Journalistic Denial of Death During the Very First Traumatic Period of the Italian SARS-CoV2 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheldon Solomon ◽  
Daniele Rostellato ◽  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Fiorella Calabrese ◽  
Guido Biasco
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Moral Panic ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
The Other ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Rank Distribution ◽  
Death Denial ◽  
Denial Of Death ◽  
One Year

Exactly one year ago, between February and March 2020, the SARS-CoV2 infection went from an epidemic confined to China to a worldwide pandemic that was particularly lethal in Italy. This study examined media accounts during that period by analysing the representation of death-related constructs in Corriere della Sera, the most widely read newspaper in Italy. A textual and thematic analysis of articles published between period A (epidemic: 23 January–22 February 2020) and period B (pandemic: 23 February–31 March 2020) was conducted using Nvivo-11. A total of 141 articles comprising 48,524 words was collected. The most utilized words and meanings linked to SARS-CoV2 were computed. In the rank distribution, ‘China’ and ’virus’ were the terms most frequently used in both periods. The terms ‘death’ and ‘dead’ were completely absent in period A and appeared in the 535th position in period B. The term ‘dead’ was used primarily to indicate the number of deceased. From a Terror Management Theory perspective, it is possible that the minimal reference to death-related issues was a reflection of death denial and a manifestation of efforts to deny death to manage terror. These findings highlight the ambiguities and ambivalence surrounding any issue pertaining to death; on one side, undue alarmism may provoke exaggerated reactions, such as moral panic, while on the other denial-based messages that minimize references to mortality may reduce safe behaviour during a pandemic.

A Terror Management Theory Perspective on Human Motivation

2019 ◽  
pp. 66-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Pyszczynski ◽  
Pelin Kesebir ◽  
McKenzie Lockett
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Existential Anxiety ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Human Motivation ◽  
And Behavior

The capacity for self-reflection, which plays an important role in human self-regulation, also leads people to become aware of the limitations of their existence. Awareness of the conflict between one’s desires (e.g., to live) and the limitations of existence (e.g., the inevitability of death) creates the potential for existential anxiety. This chapter reviews how this anxiety affects human motivation and behavior in a variety of life domains. Terror management theory and research suggest that transcending death and protecting oneself against existential anxiety are potent needs. This protection is provided by an anxiety-buffering system, which provides people a sense of meaning and value that function to shield them against these concerns. The chapter reviews evidence regarding the role of death and other existential concerns in four domains of existence: physical, personal, social, and spiritual. Because self-awareness is a prerequisite for existential anxiety, escaping or changing the nature of self-awareness can also be an effective way to manage the problems of life and death.

The terror management effects of a disaster song

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-149
Author(s):  
Laura Higgins ◽  
Peter D. MacIntyre ◽  
Jessica Ross ◽  
Heather Sparling
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Dental Pain ◽  
The Other ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Cultural Worldview ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Pro Social Behavior ◽  
Management Effects

Following terror management theory (TMT), we hypothesized that listening to a disaster song could increase cultural worldview defenses in a manner similar to the mortality-stimulating essay typically used in TMT research. Participants were divided into four groups. Two of the groups received death-related themes: one wrote an essay about dying and the other group heard a song about men who died in a shipwreck. The other two groups received pain-related stimuli: one wrote an essay about dental pain and the other heard a song about a migrant worker’s painful separation from family. Dependent variables examined pro-social behavior, ranking one’s country, children, and emotions. Results showed similar effects for the mortality-stimulating essay and the disaster song on two variables: ranking one’s country in the world and the importance of having children. In addition, compared to the pain-of-separation song, the disaster song produced significantly more negative and less positive emotion ratings; the emotion ratings of the essay groups did not differ significantly. Results show that a disaster song can produce effects similar to those that have been observed for a mortality-stimulating essay. Further, the effects of disaster songs may extend to strengthening cultural worldview defenses.

scholarly journals Death anxiety in the time of COVID-19: theoretical explanations and clinical implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Menzies ◽  
Ross G. Menzies
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
List Type ◽  
Long Term Treatment

Abstract The recent COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a surge in anxiety across the globe. Much of the public’s behavioural and emotional response to the virus can be understood through the framework of terror management theory, which proposes that fear of death drives much of human behaviour. In the context of the current pandemic, death anxiety, a recently proposed transdiagnostic construct, appears especially relevant. Fear of death has recently been shown to predict not only anxiety related to COVID-19, but also to play a causal role in various mental health conditions. Given this, it is argued that treatment programmes in mental health may need to broaden their focus to directly target the dread of death. Notably, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to produce significant reductions in death anxiety. As such, it is possible that complementing current treatments with specific CBT techniques addressing fears of death may ensure enhanced long-term symptom reduction. Further research is essential in order to examine whether treating death anxiety will indeed improve long-term outcomes, and prevent the emergence of future disorders in vulnerable populations. Key learning aims (1) To understand terror management theory and its theoretical explanation of death anxiety in the context of COVID-19. (2) To understand the transdiagnostic role of death anxiety in mental health disorders. (3) To understand current treatment approaches for directly targeting death anxiety, and the importance of doing so to improve long-term treatment outcomes.

scholarly journals Mortality salience and the Trolley Problem in Medical Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-48
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
The Other ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Trolley Problem ◽  
Random Generator

Terror Management Theory predicts that when subjects are exposed to mortality salience (i.e. they are reminded of their death), they develop higher levels of anxiety and have stronger holdings for their cultural worldviews. Mortality salience also makes subjects more cautious in many daily activities. These premises lead to the hypothesis that, under mortality salience, subjects are more deontological in their moral judgments. To test this hypothesis, medical students from a Caribbean school were presented with two classical versions of the Trolley Problem. Subjects were placed in two groups, on the basis of a computer random generator. One group was not exposed to mortality salience, the other group was. Results came out showing that being under mortality salience does not significantly increase the probability that subjects have a deontological approach to ethics.

scholarly journals Infodemic: the effect of death-related thoughts on news-sharing

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy J. Lim ◽  
Edison Tan ◽  
Tania Lim
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Existential Anxiety ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Per Se ◽  
News Sharing

AbstractResearch on the sharing of fake news has primarily focused on the manner in which fake news spreads and the literary style of fake news. These studies, however, do not explain how characteristics of fake news could affect people’s inclination toward sharing these news articles. Drawing on the Terror Management Theory, we proposed that fake news is more likely to elicit death-related thoughts than real news. Consequently, to manage the existential anxiety that had been produced, people share the news articles to feel connected to close others as a way of resolving the existential anxiety. Across three experimental studies (total N = 416), we found that it was not news type per se (i.e., real versus fake news) that influenced news-sharing intentions; instead, it was the increased accessibility to death-related thoughts elicited from the content of news articles that motivated news-sharing. The findings support the Terror Management framework and contribute to the existing literature by providing an empirical examination of the underlying psychological motive behind fake news-sharing tendencies.

Dying to Watch

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-64 ◽  
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.

When Death Is Compelling

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 352-360 ◽  
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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