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Age-Related Differences in Responses to Thoughts of One’s Own Death: Mortality Salience and Judgments of Moral Transgressions
Open accessAbstract
Two experiments explored age differences in response to reminders of death. Terror management research has shown that death reminders lead to increased adherence to and defense of one's cultural worldview. In Study 1, the effect of mortality salience (MS) on evaluations of moral transgressions made by younger and older adults was compared. Whereas younger adults showed the typical pattern of harsher judgments in response to MS, older adults did not. Study 2 compared younger and older adults' responses to both the typical MS induction and a more subtle death reminder. Whereas younger adults responded to both MS inductions with harsher evaluations, older adults made significantly less harsh evaluations after the subtle MS induction. Explanations for this developmental shift in responses to reminders of death are discussed.
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“Age is negatively associated with MS effects and older adults exhibit the opposite impact of MS inductions by expressing more egalitarian views [28, 29].”
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 [28]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“After MS, older participants were lenient toward offenders, whereas younger participants were harsher.”
From When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management (2012) · cites this paper as Maxfield et al., 2007
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“Maxfield et al. found that older adults reminded of death were more forgiving of moral transgressors.”
From When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management (2012) · cites this paper as Maxfield et al., 2007
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“Thus, Maxfield et al. [142] found that, whereas younger adults reminded of death display a harsh defense of their moral code, older adults are more forgiving of moral transgressors after MS 1 .”
From An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes (2015) · cites this paper as [142]
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“When using age as a moderator, the impacts of MS attenuated and even reversed (e.g., greater levels of egalitarian attitudes emerged) in samples of older adults [e.g., 28, 29].”
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 [28]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Maxfield, M., Pyszczynski, T., Kluck, B., Cox, C. R., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., & Weise, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- University of Kansas (US)
- University of Missouri (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Skidmore College (US)
- Venue
- Psychology and Aging
- Published
- 2007-06
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 341-353
- ISSN
- 0882-7974 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1498
- PMC
- PMC2396593
- OpenAlex
- W2038773980
- Cited by
- 181
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 7.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychology and Aging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG022910)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- mortality salience, death reminders, age differences, moral judgment, moral transgression, terror management theory, older adults, developmental changes
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Attention, Attitude to Death, Awareness, Culture, Defense Mechanisms, Denial, Psychological, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Personality Inventory, Self Concept, Semantics, Social Values, Retrospective Moral Judgment
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