Existential Anxiety as Related to Conceptualization of Self and of Death, Denial of Death, and Religiosity

1992 ◽  
Vol 71 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1064-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alida S. Westman
Keyword(s):  
Adjustment Problems ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Existential Anxiety ◽  
Identity Confusion ◽  
Death Denial ◽  
Denial Of Death

82 students completed a questionnaire which measured their existential anxiety as described by Yalom, conceptualization of self and of death, denial of death, and religiosity. For these students, scores on existential anxiety correlated with identity confusion, feeling responsible toward others but fearing emotional closeness with them, seeing people as fundamentally different and not seeing oneself as living on in one's tasks or projects. Their existential anxiety scores were not related to a particular concept of death, but death was more likely to be seen as cold and denied. Their existential anxiety seemed symptomatic of adjustment problems for which religiosity was not helpful. Specific suggestions for further research are made.

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.

scholarly journals Journalistic Denial of Death during the Very First Traumatic Period of the Italian COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Sheldon Solomon ◽  
Daniele Rostellato ◽  
Ines Testoni ◽  
Fiorella Calabrese ◽  
Guido Biasco
Keyword(s):  
Moral Panic ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Rank Distribution ◽  
Death Denial ◽  
The Media ◽  
Denial Of Death ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One

Exactly one year ago, between February and March 2020, the COVID-19 infection went from an epidemic confined to China to a worldwide pandemic that was particularly lethal in Italy. This study examined the 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 were collected. The most utilised words and meanings linked to COVID-19 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 the one side, undue alarmism may provoke exaggerated reactions, such as moral panic, while on the other denial-based messages that minimise references to mortality may reduce safe behaviour during a pandemic.

Fearing Death and Caring for the Dying

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Momeyer
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
Optimal Care ◽  
Death Denial ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Denial Of Death ◽  
In Virtue Of

It is frequently alleged that health care workers with higher than statistically normal fear of death are, in virtue of that characteristic, ill equipped to render optimal care to the terminally ill. The plausibility of this claim rests on anumber of highly dubious claims about the nature and status of death anxiety and its relation to the phenomenon of death denial. I argue that the fear of death is not nearly so undesirable as supposed, that it may well be psychologically unavoidable, grounded in the human condition, and by and large altogether reasonable. Moreover, it is seriously confusing to equate the fear of death with the denial of death. Once we are clear about these matters, it can be seen that not merely is the fear of death compatible with the capacity to render quality care to the dying, but such care is unlikely to be given by those who do not candidly and honestly acknowledge the reality of their own fear and struggle to avoid denial.

Extraverts Have Larger Social Network Layers

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas V. Pollet ◽  
Sam G. B. Roberts ◽  
Robin I. M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Outer Layer ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Emotional Intensity ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Network Layer ◽  
Network Layers ◽  
Social Network Size

Previous studies showed that extraversion influences social network size. However, it is unclear how extraversion affects the size of different layers of the network, and how extraversion relates to the emotional intensity of social relationships. We examined the relationships between extraversion, network size, and emotional closeness for 117 individuals. The results demonstrated that extraverts had larger networks at every layer (support clique, sympathy group, outer layer). The results were robust and were not attributable to potential confounds such as sex, though they were modest in size (raw correlations between extraversion and size of network layer, .20 < r < .23). However, extraverts were not emotionally closer to individuals in their network, even after controlling for network size. These results highlight the importance of considering not just social network size in relation to personality, but also the quality of relationships with network members.

Investigating the association between death denial and cultural worldview defense

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Martens ◽  
Eva Jonas ◽  
Mark Zanna ◽  
Jeff Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Worldview Defense ◽  
Cultural Worldview ◽  
Death Denial
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document