Play It Safe or Go for the Gold? A Terror Management Perspective on Self-Enhancement and Self-Protective Motives in Risky Decision Making
Abstract
Terror management theory (TMT) posits that bolstering self-esteem buffers mortality concerns; accordingly, in past research, heightening mortality salience (MS) increases self-enhancement. However, risky self-esteem-relevant decisions often present a choice between enhancing self-esteem by striving for excellence and protecting self-esteem by avoiding potential failure. Which strategy is preferred under MS? Combining TMT with insights from Steele, Spencer, and Lynch's (1993) resource model, the authors hypothesized and found that MS leads high, but not low, self-esteem participants faced with a risky decision to pursue opportunities for excellence despite substantial risk of failure (Studies 1 and 2); in Study 3, using a more impactful decision, this effect was replicated and it was furthermore found that mortality-salient low-self-esteem participants become more risk-averse. Furthermore, in Study 2, a self-affirmation prime, previously shown to reduce MS-induced defenses, eliminated the self-enhancement effect among high-self-esteem participants. Implications for understanding self-esteem, TMT, and risky decision making are briefly discussed.
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High-self-esteem people act more defensive in other contexts.
“Low-self-esteem participants act more defensive in some contexts ( Jaremka et al. 2011), whereas high-self-esteem people act more defensive in others (Landau & Greenberg 2006; see also Aronson 1969).”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Landau & Greenberg 2006
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The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention
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- Authors
- Landau, M. J., & Greenberg, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-12
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1633-1645
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W2034680742
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 6.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- terror management theory, mortality salience, self-esteem, self-enhancement, risky decision making, risk aversion, resource model, self-affirmation, failure prevention
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Avoidance Learning, Decision Making, Defense Mechanisms, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Motivation, Risk-Taking, Self Concept
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