scholarly journals Would you fancy a premium five o’clock after the funeral? Application of Terror Management Theory in daily shopping decisions

2018 ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
Radosław B. Walczak ◽  
Rafał Gerymski ◽  
Jakub Filipkowski
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Product Choices ◽  
Conscious Level ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study has investigated how fear-of-death activation affected consumer food product choices. Undergraduate students (N = 130; Mage = 22.7; Meage = 21) differing on the conscious fear of death level participated in this study. The participants were divided into two experimental and one control groups. In first experimental group fear of death was induced by asking the participants to read an euthanasia story, in second experimental group by asking them to picture their own death. All experimental groups filled a fear of death personality measure prior to the experiment. Afterwards, participants had to indicate their usual shopping preferences, by choosing between several standard and premium-looking food items which were selected in the pilot study. Results show a decreased number of premium product choices in the death activation groups. Conscious level of fear had no impact on those choices. Results are discussed under the terror management theory framework.

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.

Desensitizing Effect of Frequently Witnessing Death in an Occupation: A Study With Turkish Health-Care Professionals

2020 ◽  
pp. 003022282090488
Author(s):  
Necmi Baykan ◽  
Gökhan Arslantürk ◽  
Polat Durukan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
Health Care Employees ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Predictive Relationships ◽  
Post Hoc

This study aimed to investigate anxiety and fear of death created by the consciousness of death in professionals who frequently witness death and to determine variables related to the dimensions of mortality awareness. Data were gathered from 212 health-care employees, primarily those in emergency medicine and intensive care. Variance analysis was used to assess sex and experience groups using the Bonferroni post hoc test. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine the predictive relationships. Health-care employees’ fear of death decreased with experience. No significant difference was observed between the experience groups in terms of conservatism values such as conformity, tradition, and security in the theory of basic human values. Empathy level was determined to be significantly predictive of the mortality awareness dimensions. These findings indicate a desensitization effect of witnessing the death, contrary to that predicted by the terror management theory.

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.

Terror management theory and commitment to friendship

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miki D. Skinner ◽  
Wind Goodfriend ◽  
Ashley K. Christiansen ◽  
Rebekah L. Davis ◽  
Christine L. Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory
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