Predicting proximal health responses to reminders of death: The influence of coping style and health optimism
Abstract
Research derived from terror management theory (TMT) suggests that conscious contemplations of mortality instigate efforts to remove such threatening cognitions from focal attention. Though efforts to manage death concerns in focal attention can positively affect one's health (e.g., engaging in health conscious behavior), such efforts can also negatively affect one's health (e.g., denying vulnerability to disease). The current research explores how individual differences in coping style and health optimism relate to the ways in which people respond to death-related cognitions in focal attention. Study 1 found that adaptive coping was associated with increased health behavioral intentions immediately after death thoughts were made salient (i.e., when death thoughts were still in focal attention) but not after a delay. Study 2 found that immediately after death thoughts were made salient, health optimism was associated with increased disease-detecting behavioral intentions relating to breast cancer. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
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In recent TMT-health studies, if proximal threats are paired with proximal, positive, vulnerability reducing incentives, some people chose healthier behaviors.
“Yet, in recent TMT-health studies, if proximal threats are paired with proximal, positive, vulnerability reducing incentives, some people chose healthier behaviors (e.g., quitting smoking); it is important to consider mediating variables in TMT research (Arndt et al., 2006).”
From Mortality management and climate action: A review and reference for using Terror Management Theory methods in interdisciplinary environmental research (2022) · cites this paper as Arndt et al., 2006
Beneficial effects of conscious death thoughts on healthy behaviors are particularly evident among individuals who believe their own actions can have a positive impact on their health.
“The beneficial effects of conscious death thoughts on healthy behaviors are particularly evident when healthy behaviors are aimed specifically at reducing the risk of death [31] and among individuals who believe that their own actions can have a positive impact on their health [31,32].”
From An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes (2015) · cites this paper as [32]
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- Authors
- Arndt, J., Routledge, C., & Goldenberg, J. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Missouri (US)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- University of South Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- Arndt, Jamie
- ORCID
- Goldenberg, Jamie L.
- Venue
- Psychology & Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2006-10
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 593-614
- ISSN
- 0887-0446 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-8321
- OpenAlex
- W2016738353
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology and Health (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Keywords
- terror management theory, death awareness, coping styles, adaptive coping, health behavior intentions, breast cancer screening, mortality salience
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