scholarly journals Do Materialistic Consumers Buy More During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Seong-Yuen Toh ◽  
Siew-Wai Yuan ◽  
Ranita Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
The Self ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Material Consumption ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
Relationship Of

This study investigates the mediated moderating relationship of self-concept clarity, materialism, and social consumption motivation in the context of Covid-19 pandemic based on the terror management theory. The findings suggest that Malaysian consumers have high self-concept clarity about their materialistic orientation. This materialistic orientation may be of hedonistic-utilitarian nature that is internally directed for self-satisfaction and not exclusively directed externally in material consumption to portray an image to others. Furthermore, this study posits that cultural factors like collectivism and uncertainty avoidance delimits the applicability of terror management theory in Malaysia, suggesting that the development of the theory draw heavily from Western ideology of individualism not directly relevant in the Asian context. Finally, this study offers an understanding of the self-concept clarity from the Asian context, addressing the the appeal by Dunlop (2017) to investigate the construct of self-concept clarity particularly in non-Western context.

Of Mice and Men, and Objectified Women: A Terror Management Account of Infrahumanization

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 763-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Goldenberg ◽  
Nathan Heflick ◽  
Jeroen Vaes ◽  
Matt Motyl ◽  
Jeff Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
The Self ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Management Function ◽  
Mortality Increase ◽  
Objectification Of Women ◽  
Self Objectification

This article offers terror management theory (TMT) as a conceptual lens through which the process of infrahumanization can be viewed. TMT suggests that people are threatened by the awareness of their mortal, animal nature, and that by emphasizing their symbolic, cultural—and hence, uniquely human—existence, they can help quell this threat. The article reviews empirical evidence demonstrating that reminders of mortality increase efforts to see the self and in-groups as more uniquely human. In addition, it is posited that, as an ironic consequence of defensive efforts to rid the self and certain others of any connection to animal nature, people are sometimes stripped of their human nature. The study presents evidence that the objectification, and self-objectification, of women can be viewed from this perspective and concludes that both emphasizing people’s uniquely human qualities and viewing them as objectified symbols can be understood as serving a terror management function.

scholarly journals Introduction to the COVID-19 Second Special Issue

2020 ◽  
pp. 002216782096641
Author(s):  
Zenobia Morrill
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Making ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
The Self ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Collective Meaning

This introduction describes an original collection of articles that advance Existential-Humanistic (EH) psychology in a project of collective meaning-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. From contributions that apply terror management theory to political and ideological division, to those that intricately examine concepts of the self and radical emotional dwelling in psychotherapy, this issue spans a wide range of topics relevant to EH scholars and beyond. This special issue also explores phenomenological questions. The articles within not only reconfigure ways to be that align with humanistic commitments, but challenge readers to examine the social systems that shape these possibilities. For this reason, this introduction connects the applications of EH psychology included in this issue to other disciplines that have intimately analyzed subjectivities related to existential reckoning, injustice, and liberation.

Terrorism, Violence, and Hope for Peace

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 318-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Pyszczynski ◽  
Zachary Rothschild ◽  
Abdolhossein Abdollahi
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Self ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Perceived Injustice ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Cultural Worldviews ◽  
Terrorist Violence

Terror management theory (TMT) is used to explore psychological forces that act to promote or discourage support for terrorism and violent counterterrorist policies. According to TMT, domination, humiliation, and perceived injustice threaten the self-esteem and cultural worldviews that protect people from death-related anxiety; the result may be hostility and violence directed against the threatening out-group as a way of defusing this threat. We review research documenting the role of terror management processes in promoting and discouraging support for terrorism and violent counterterrorist policies and discuss the implications of this research. The studies we review suggest that the same psychological forces that promote support for terrorist violence also promote support for aggressive counterterrorist policies and that these forces can be redirected to encourage support for more peaceful solutions on both sides of the current conflict between Islamic radical groups and Western nations.

Perceived Similarity of the Self to Animals, Creativity, and Anxiety—: A Terror Management Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 014616722110632
Author(s):  
Uri Lifshin ◽  
Jeff Greenberg ◽  
Stylianos Syropoulos ◽  
Bernhard Leidner ◽  
Peter J. Helm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
The Self ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Perceived Similarity ◽  
Personality Variable ◽  
Human Motivation

According to terror management theory, humans avoid death anxiety by embedding themselves within cultural worldviews that allow them to perceive themselves as more than mortal animals. However, individuals also differ in their trait-like tendency to dissociate from other animals. In six studies, we tested whether individuals who perceive themselves as more similar to animals (high-perceived similarity of the self to animals [PSSA]) invest more in creativity for terror management than low-PSSA individuals, but are also more vulnerable to experiencing anxiety and existential concerns. Supporting our hypotheses, PSSA was associated with investment in creativity and arts, especially after death primes (Studies 3 and 4). High-PSSA individuals had heightened trait anxiety and death-thought accessibility (Studies 5 and 6), and showed increased state anxiety following a negative feedback about their creativity (Study 6). Findings highlight the role of PSSA as a personality variable predicting human motivation and emotion.

“Out of the Depths Have I Called Thee”: Jewish Israeli Undertakers’ Management of Death Anxiety

2020 ◽  
pp. 003022282098311
Author(s):  
Michal Mahat-Shamir
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
The Self ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Cultural Worldview ◽  
Inductive Thematic Analysis

According to Terror Management Theory, there are three common buffers that minimize the anxiety of mortality salience: affirmation of one’s cultural worldview, the self and one’s personal values, and one’s significance in the context of close personal relationships. The current study aimed to explore the manner by which Jewish Israeli undertakers manage their constant exposure to death and buffer against death anxiety. A deductive and inductive thematic analysis captured a dialectical movement between, and within, two conflicting worldviews participants were engaged in, in their attempt to manage the mortality salience effect they experience and buffer against death anxiety.

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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