The Effect of Reminders of Death on Reckless Driving: A Terror Management Perspective
Abstract
Why do young people, especially young men, engage in reckless driving despite the fact that this behavior contradicts the basic biological imperative of self-preservation? Answering this interesting and crucial question may lead to effective interventions. A series of studies, based on terror management theory, examined the effects of reminders of death on risk taking while driving. The dependent measures were either self-reported behavioral intentions of risky driving or driving speed in a car simulator. Findings showed that mortality-salience inductions led to more risky driving than the control condition only among individuals who perceived driving as relevant to their self-esteem. The introduction of positive feedback about driving eliminated this effect. The complex role of self-esteem in the process of risk taking is discussed.
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Death primes increased risky driving for people who derive self-esteem from their driving abilities.
“death primes have increased risky driving for people who derive self-esteem from their driving abilities (Taubman Ben-Ari, 2000)”
From When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management (2012) · cites this paper as Taubman Ben-Ari, 2000
Cites
Greenberg, 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
Simon, L., Greenberg, J., Jones, E. H., Solomon, S., & Pyszczynsid, T. (1996) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167296221008 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
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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
Intimacy and risky sexual behavior-what does it have to do with death?
TAUBMAN-BEN-ARI, O. (2004) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481180490490988 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Self-citationExploitation of mortality salience in communication on climate change
Akil, H., Robert-Demontrond, P., & Bouillé, J. (2018) · Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition) · doi:10.1177/2051570717745839 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Texting and tombstones: Impact of mortality salience on risky driving intentions
Frietze, G., & Cohn, L. D. (2018) · Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour · doi:10.1016/j.trf.2018.08.006 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
- Authors
- Taubman — Ben-Ari, O.
- Affiliations
- School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2000-12
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 196-199
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- OpenAlex
- W2021094497
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality › Traffic and Road Safety
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Keywords
- mortality salience, terror management theory, reckless driving, risk-taking, self-esteem, young men, driving speed, behavioral intention, positive feedback, self-preservation
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