Terror management theory
Abstract
This chapter presents a psychological theory, called &s;Terror Management Theory&s; (TMT), which describes how human beings strive to transcend death by adhering to cultural worldviews that provide them with hopes for symbolic and sometimes literal immortality. It shows how this motivation manifests itself in modern times and how it sometimes serves physical survival but in many instances may work against it. According to TMT, in order to enjoy the literal or symbolic immortality that their cultures offer, people are motivated to maintain a sense of self-esteem , the feeling that they are valuable members of a meaningful universe, who are living up to the standards of their cultural worldviews. Furthermore, maintaining a sense of self-esteem and hopes for immortality are sometimes necessary for people&s;s normal and anxiety-free functioning. Having valid cultural worldviews, self-esteem and close relationships allow people to gain a sense of death transcendence and gain psychological security.
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When a person is made aware of the inevitability of death (MS) or thinks about death in general, the overwhelming terror and anxiety that ensues can result in shifts in attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors intended to suppress or escape the terror until either the terror is reduced or one's mortality becomes less salient.
“When a person is made aware of the inevitability of death (i.e., “Mortality Salience” or MS), or thinks about death in general (i.e., “Death Though Accessibility”), the “overwhelming terror” and anxiety that ensues can result in shifts in attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors intended to suppress or escape the terror until either the terror is reduced or one’s mortality becomes less salient [7, 8].”
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 [7]
People with high versus low self-esteem and/or an extant sense of belonging are largely resilient to MS inductions.
“Supporting this assertion are the results of several studies where people with high (vs. low) self-esteem and/or an extant sense of “belonging” are largely resilient to MS inductions [7, 17] and are more likely to endorse beliefs in an afterlife and their own symbolic immortality [16].”
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 [7]
Some suggest a key mechanism behind this shift in attitude is that self-esteem and symbolic immortality are faster and easier to achieve than in the past, ostensibly due to the proliferation of technology and social media that provide instantaneous 'digital immortality'.
“Some suggest a key mechanism behind this shift in attitude is that self-esteem and symbolic immortality are faster and easier to achieve than in the past, ostensibly due to the proliferation of technology and social media that provide instantaneous “digital immortality” [7, 127].”
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 [7]
Cites
Arndt, J., Schimel, J., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2003) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01972.x · Cited by 172 · see citing works
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Treger, S., Benau, E. M., & Timko, C. A. (2023) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0285267 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
- Authors
- Lifshin, U., Helm, P. J., & Greenberg, J.
- Venue
- Postmortal Society
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Published
- 2017-03-31
- Pages
- 79-96
- OpenAlex
- W2951414134
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 1.05
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Routledge eBooks (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, transcendence of death, cultural worldview, symbolic immortality, self-esteem, close relationships, psychological security
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