Transcript Terror Management Theory (TMT)

Terror Management
Theory
Prague, Czech Republic
TMT and Existential Psychology
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Existential psychology began in reaction to
Freud’s theories
Both Freudian and existential approaches
explore the motivational consequences of
human (unconscious) conflicts
However, they differ in which conflicts
fundamentally influence human behavior
For Freud the conflict is sex and agression
For existentialists it’s our search for
meaning, freedom, coherence ultimately
stemmed from the fear of death
TMT Beginning
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TMT developers: Jeff Greenberg,
Tom Pyszczynski, and Sheldon
Solomon
Penned theoretical papers
explaining TMT’s principles (1986)
Theory is based on Ernest Becker’s
(1976) The Denial of Death
TMT: Main Tenets
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Fear of death is
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innate
universal
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unique to humans
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Self-awareness leads to death awareness
(i.e. recognition that death is unstoppable
and unpredictable)
Fear of death fundamental source of human
conflict and anxiety
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Death naturally conflicts with our powerful selfpreservation and freedom instincts
TMT: Main Tenets
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Ultimate motive: to manage this terror
Thus, TMT holds that human behavior
fundamentally demonstrates how we cope or
manage this anxiety – this terror – of death
But how often do we think about death?
We learn to automatically – that is,
unconsciously – repress and manage the fear
of death using a “dual-component buffer”:
TMT: Main Tenets
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Initial reaction to death awareness is
conscious suppression of death
thoughts – Generally successful (low
DTA)
After delay, unconscious DTA increases
Activates psychological strategies to
defend against death terror:
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Focus on one’s culture (more enduring
than the individual; provides meaning and
support)
Focus on self-esteem
1. Mortality Salience hypothesis…
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…states that when people are reminded of
death (mortality salience), they will use
various terror management (defense)
mechanisms to rid death thoughts from the
mind to return to a composed psychological
state
Seeing that culture is vital to ward off death
anxiety, people should defend their
worldviews after mortality salience (i.e.,
elicit worldview defense)
Worldview defense can either involve
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a) criticizing others’ disparate worldviews or
b) praising others who uphold your worldview
Your
worldvie
w sucks!
I’m going
to live
forever!
DELAY
Proximal Effects
Distal Effects
First empirical studies…
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Rosenblatt et al. (1989):
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Completed mortality questionnaire (write
about your death) or not
Judges read case brief and then allotted
bail to the alleged prostitute
$ amount ranged from $1 - $999
Results:
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After mortality salience: $455 vs.
Control condition: $50
Rosenblatt et al. (1989) cont.
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Also added “heroine condition” in
which P’s allotted reward amount to
female who apprehended thief ($1,000
- $4,000)
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After mortality salience: $3,476 vs.
Control condition: $1,112
Mortality Salience: Results
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MS not only affects attitudes…
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But also overt behavioral responses…
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e.g., increased derogation of various outgroup
members (e.g., Christians vs. Jews)
Increased aggression against worldview
transgressors (e.g., allotted more hot sauce to
targets who criticized one’s political views)
Decreased affiliation with dissimilar others (e.g.,
where one chooses, if at all, to sit with worldview
threats)
And death thought accessibility
BUT ONLY AFTER A DELAY
2. The Anxiety Buffer hypothesis
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…states that high self-esteem, shields
individuals from experiencing (death)
anxiety
Empirical research says…
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Greenberg et al. (1992): High self-esteem
lessened self-reported anxiety…
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in anticipation of electric shocks
in response to graphic video
in response to receiving information detailing a short life
expectancy
Self-esteem also moderated P’s physiological
response in anticipation of electric shocks