Terror management and cognitive-experiential self-theory: Evidence that terror management occurs in the experiential system
Abstract
The authors hypothesized, on the basis of terror management theory and cognitive-experiential self-theory, that participants in an experiential mode of thinking would respond to mortality salience with increased worldview defense and increased accessibility of death-related thoughts, whereas participants in a rational mode would not. Results from 3 studies provided convergent evidence that when participants were in an experiential mode, mortality salience produced the typical worldview defense effect, but when participants were in a rational mode it did not. Study 4 revealed that mortality salience also led to a delayed increase in the accessibility of death-related thoughts only when participants were in an experiential mode. These results supported the notion that worldwide defense is intensified only if individuals are in an experiential mode when considering their mortality. Discussion focuses on implications for understanding terror management processes.
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An early replication failure resulted in a refining of methods wherein MS tasks that are intense, blatant, or rational can impede the desired effects compared to experiential and/or subtle primes.
“For example, an early replication failure noted by Ochsman and colleagues [cited in 27] resulted in a refining of methods wherein MS tasks that are intense, blatant, or rational can impede the desired effects compared to experiential and/or subtle primes [54, 55].”
From Not so terrifying after all? A set of failed replications of the mortality salience effects of Terror Management Theory (2023) · cites this paper as [54]
Participants may be in a 'rational' mindset in discussing death, thereby potentially reducing the MS effects.
“By being motivated to be attentive and compliant, it is certainly possible that participants are in a “rational” mindset in discussing death, thereby potentially reducing the MS effects [54].”
From Not so terrifying after all? A set of failed replications of the mortality salience effects of Terror Management Theory (2023) · cites this paper as [54]
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- Authors
- Simon, L., Greenberg, J., Harmon-Jones, E., Solomon, S., Pyszczynski, T., Arndt, J., & Abend, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Skidmore College (US)
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1997
- Volume
- 72
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1132-1146
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2097136728
- Cited by
- 181
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- terror management theory, cognitive-experiential self-theory, mortality salience, worldview defense, death-related thoughts, fear of death
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Attitude to Death, Defense Mechanisms, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Personality, Self Concept, Social Perception, Violence
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