On the Unique Psychological Import of the Human Awareness of Mortality: Theme and Variations
Abstract
We are gratified that after 20 years, terror management theory (TMT; Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986), a formalization of Becker's (1971, 1973, 1975) integrative interdisciplinary analysis ...
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After a delay, people resort to indirect, symbolic, distal defenses by invoking cultural worldviews, meaning-centered values, and self-esteem to maintain cognitive equilibrium.
“people must resort to indirect, symbolic, distal defenses , whereby they invoke cultural worldviews, meaning-centered values and self-esteem to maintain the cognitive equilibrium”
From An Integrative Terror Management Theory Perspective on Media Effects: A Model and 12 Hypotheses for Research (2016) · cites this paper as Pyszczynski, Greenberg, Solomon, & Maxfield, 2006
Terror management theory hypotheses primarily receive support when a delay ensues between the manipulation of mortality salience and measurement of the dependent variable.
“TMT hypotheses primarily receive support when a delay ensues between the manipulation of mortality salience and measurement of the dependent variable.”
From An Integrative Terror Management Theory Perspective on Media Effects: A Model and 12 Hypotheses for Research (2016) · cites this paper as Pyszczynski, Greenberg, Solomon, & Maxfield, 2006
Meaning/certainty threats may increase worldview defense after a short delay and be less apt to do so after a long delay.
“Given the TMT theorizing that worldview defense arises when death thoughts are highly accessible but not in awareness, meaning/certainty threats may increase worldview defense after a short delay and be less apt to do so after a long delay (Pyszczynski et al., 2006).”
From Same but different: meta-analytically examining the uniqueness of mortality salience effects (2011) · cites this paper as Pyszczynski et al., 2006
Cites
The Causes and Consequences of a Need for Self-Esteem: A Terror Management Theory
Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (1986) · Public Self and Private Self · doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-9564-5_10 · Cited by 2,326 · cited 3× · see citing works
“to create cultural worldviews that give life meaning and self-esteem which gives individuals value (Greenberg et al., 1986).”
BackgroundSelf-citationGreenberg, J., Solomon, S., & Pyszczynski, T. (1997) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60016-7 · Cited by 1,505 · see citing works
Self-citationGreenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., Rosenblatt, A., Veeder, M., Kirkland, S., & Lyon, D. (1990) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.2.308 · Cited by 1,412 · see citing works
Self-citationSolomon, S., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. (1991) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60328-7 · Cited by 1,296 · see citing works
Self-citationHarmon-Jones, E., Simon, L., Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & McGregor, H. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.1.24 · Cited by 677 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Other research has shown that increasing self-esteem (Arndt & Greenberg, 1999; Harmon-Jones et al., 1997); defending self-esteem by engaging in self-serving attributions (Mikulincer & Florian, 2002, Study 3); priming religiosity among intrinsically, but not extrinsically, religious persons (Jonas & Fischer, 2006); and…”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationLandau, M. J., Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., Cohen, F., Pyszczynski, T., Arndt, J., Miller, C. H., Ogilvie, D. M., & Cook, A. (2004) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167204267988 · Cited by 663 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Scrooge Effect: Evidence that mortality salience increases prosocial attitudes and behavior
Jonas, E., Schimel, J., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. (2002) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/014616702236834 · Cited by 420 · see citing works
Self-citationFlorian, V., Mikulincer, M., & Hirschberger, G. (2002) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.82.4.527 · Cited by 334 · see citing works
Subliminal exposure to death-related stimuli increases defense of the cultural worldview
Arndt, J., Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (1997) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00429.x · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Self-citationA Function of Form: Terror Management and Structuring the Social World.
Landau, M. J., Johns, M., Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Martens, A., Goldenberg, J. L., & Solomon, S. (2004) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.87.2.190 · Cited by 275 · see citing works
Greed, death, and values: From terror management to transcendence management theory
Cozzolino, P. J., Staples, A. D., Meyers, L. S., & Samboceti, J. (2004) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167203260716 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Maxfield, M., Pyszczynski, T., Kluck, B., Cox, C. R., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., & Weise, D. (2007) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/0882-7974.22.2.341 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Self-citationSimon, L., Greenberg, J., Harmon-Jones, E., Solomon, S., Pyszczynski, T., Arndt, J., & Abend, T. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.5.1132 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Greenberg, J., Martens, A., Jonas, E., Eisenstadt, D., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (2003) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.03454 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Self-citationGeneral and personal mortality salience and nationalistic bias
Nelson, L. J., Moore, D. L., Olivetti, J., & Scott, T. (1997) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167297238008 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Zilboorg, G. (1943) · The Psychoanalytic Quarterly · doi:10.1080/21674086.1943.11925545 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
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Two Decades of Terror Management Theory: A Meta-Analysis of Mortality Salience Research
Burke, B. L., Martens, A., & Faucher, E. H. (2010) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868309352321 · Cited by 1,188 · see citing works
Thirty Years of Terror Management Theory
Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & Greenberg, J. (2015) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/bs.aesp.2015.03.001 · Cited by 509 · see citing works
Self-citationJonas, E., McGregor, I., Klackl, J., Agroskin, D., Fritsche, I., Holbrook, C., Nash, K., Proulx, T., & Quirin, M. (2014) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-800052-6.00004-4 · Cited by 447 · see citing works
Hayes, J., Schimel, J., Arndt, J., & Faucher, E. H. (2010) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0020524 · Cited by 389 · see citing works
When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management
Vail, K. E., Juhl, J., Arndt, J., Vess, M., Routledge, C., & Rutjens, B. T. (2012) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868312440046 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Beyond Terror and Denial: The Positive Psychology of Death Acceptance
Wong, P. T. P., & Tomer, A. (2011) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2011.535377 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Vess, M., Routledge, C., Landau, M. J., & Arndt, J. (2009) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0016417 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Greenberg, J., Vail, K., & Pyszczynski, T. (2014) · Advances in Motivation Science · doi:10.1016/bs.adms.2014.08.003 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Self-citationSame but different: meta-analytically examining the uniqueness of mortality salience effects
Martens, A., Burke, B. L., Schimel, J., & Faucher, E. H. (2011) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.767 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Routledge, C. D., & Arndt, J. (2009) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167208329629 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Guthrie, D. (2023) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/17456916221093613 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Williams, T. J., Schimel, J., Hayes, J., & Faucher, E. H. (2012) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.1849 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Perloff, R. M. (2016) · Studies in Media and Communication · doi:10.11114/smc.v4i1.1600 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
- Authors
- Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., & Maxfield, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Skidmore College (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Inquiry
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2006-10-29
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 328-356
- ISSN
- 1047-840X (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7965
- OpenAlex
- W1979895129
- Cited by
- 122
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Inquiry (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, fear of death, human uniqueness
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