Critically Evaluating Terror Management Theory (TMT) in Psychology
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary motivator for people to maintain a positive self-image, according to Terror Management Theory?

  • To achieve a sense of accomplishment
  • To conform to societal norms
  • To gain social approval
  • To avoid anxiety and fear of death (correct)

    • What is the relationship between self-esteem and anxiety, according to research by Greenberg?

  • Increasing self-esteem increases anxiety
  • Increasing self-esteem reduces anxiety and defensiveness (correct)
  • Anxiety has no effect on self-esteem
  • Self-esteem has no effect on anxiety

    • According to Becker, what is the source of humanity's awareness of vulnerability and death?

  • Our instinctual nature
  • Our social environment
  • Our cultural upbringing
  • Our intellectual abilities (correct)

    • What is the role of parent-child interactions in the development of self-esteem, according to TMT?

    <p>Parents' love and protection help internalize standards</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the awareness of one's own mortality?

    <p>Mortality salience</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of increased mortality salience, according to research?

    <p>Increased need for faith in one's worldview</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between self-esteem and social comparisons, according to research?

    <p>Self-esteem is related to self-serving biases and social comparisons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of self-esteem, according to TMT?

    <p>To serve as a buffer against death anxiety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an alternative explanation to the fear of death as a motivating force?

    <p>Motives for uncertainty reduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is stigma defined as?

    <p>A characteristic that marks a person for social devaluation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a consequence of stigma?

    <p>Anger, anxiety, and low self-esteem</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a coping strategy used by stigmatized individuals?

    <p>Attributing negative outcomes to prejudice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the Social Cure?

    <p>A phenomenon where group identification provides support and protection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)?

    <p>A theory that explains intergroup conflict</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an assumption of RCT?

    <p>If the interests of two groups coincide, then relations between groups will be relatively harmonious</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of Sherif's studies on RCT?

    <p>Methodological issues with the camp setting</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of economic competition leading to intergroup violence?

    <p>Murders in U.S. cities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of RCT?

    <p>It has methodological issues</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of the Contact Hypothesis?

    <p>It assumes that contact between groups always leads to reduced prejudice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What condition is necessary for the Contact Hypothesis to be effective?

    <p>Cooperation between groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a consequence of negative contact between groups?

    <p>Stronger prejudices between groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of the Contact Hypothesis?

    <p>It assumes that contact does not generalize to other outgroup members</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the correlation between contact and reduced prejudice?

    <p>r = -.3</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a factor that affects the generalization of contact effects?

    <p>Typicality of outgroup members</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the model that proposes that contact reduces bias by creating a common ingroup identity?

    <p>Common Ingroup Identity Model</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of RCT studies on intergroup conflict?

    <p>They oversimplify the causes of intergroup conflict</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the effect where contact between two groups leads to reduced prejudice towards other ethnic minorities?

    <p>Secondary Transfer Effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a potential negative consequence of the Contact Hypothesis for minorities?

    <p>It can undermine attempts to achieve equality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is genocide, according to the definition?

    <p>An attempt to exterminate a group by creating conditions that lead to the group's destruction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the difference between mass killing and genocide?

    <p>Mass killing is killing group members without the intention to eliminate the whole group, whereas genocide is the intention to eliminate the whole group</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What were the three major factors that contribute to genocide, according to Ervin Staub?

    <p>Difficult life conditions, cultural-societal characteristics, and a continuum of destruction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the psychological consequence of genocide on the perpetrators?

    <p>A threat to self-concept and feelings of disorganization and anxiety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of people turning against outgroups, according to Hunter et al. (2011)?

    <p>We devalue the outgroup to enhance our self-esteem</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of cultural-societal characteristics in genocide, according to Ervin Staub?

    <p>Cultural devaluation of a subgroup, strong respect for authority, and an ideology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the continuum of destruction, according to Ervin Staub?

    <p>The gradual increase in harm and killing, while the motivation against killing decreases</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of bystanders in genocide, according to the Holocaust?

    <p>Bystanders can change and become active participants in the genocide</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the Nazi's do to distance themselves from the victims during the Holocaust?

    <p>They treated everyone badly in the concentration camps to break their will</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the impact of bystanders on genocide, according to the Nazi Germany example?

    <p>Bystanders helped prop the system up and allowed genocide to happen</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of internal bystanders during the Holocaust?

    <p>They gathered in front of the deportation center to protest.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the goal of Social Identity Theory (SIT)?

    <p>To explain intergroup behavior and discrimination.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the outcome when individuals engage in social categorization, according to SIT?

    <p>They minimize differences within categories and emphasize differences between categories.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of comparisons favoring the outgroup, according to SIT?

    <p>A negative social identity and low self-esteem.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of social mobility strategies, according to SIT?

    <p>To leave one group and join another when group boundaries are permeable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of external bystanders during the Holocaust?

    <p>They were passive and accepted the violence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the limitation of SIT, according to critics?

    <p>It does not account for the complexities of intergroup discrimination.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of social categorization in SIT?

    <p>It occurs with respect to the self, leading to the formation of a social identity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the outcome of social competition, according to SIT?

    <p>It leads to direct competition with the outgroup when status differences are seen as illegitimate or insecure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of social change strategies, according to SIT?

    <p>To change the status of the group when group boundaries are impermeable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Terror Management Theory (TMT)

    • Proposed by Solomon et al. (1991) to explain the human need for self-esteem
    • Self-esteem acts as a buffer against death anxiety
    • Key aspects:
      • Humans' intellectual abilities lead to awareness of vulnerability and inevitable death, causing anxiety
      • Cultural worldviews provide a sense of meaning and order, reducing anxiety
      • Self-esteem develops in early childhood through interactions with parents
    • Research supporting TMT:
      • Greenberg's study: increasing self-esteem reduces anxiety and defensiveness in response to threatening stimuli
      • Mortality salience (MS) increases the need for faith in one's worldview
    • Criticisms of TMT:
      • Fear of death may not be a universal motivating force
      • Alternative explanations for MS effects, such as motives for uncertainty reduction, meaning, and belonging
      • MS can lead to opposing effects

    Stigma and Self-Esteem

    • Stigma: any characteristic that marks a person for social devaluation
    • Consequences of stigma:
      • Negative experiences, including harmful comments, exclusion, and abuse
      • Anger, anxiety, low self-esteem, stress, and shame
    • Coping strategies:
      • Restricting comparisons to within-group members
      • Disengaging from dimensions
      • Attributing negative outcomes to prejudice
      • Group identification as a source of support and protection

    Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)

    • Defined by Campbell: peoples' attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members reflect the objective interests of the ingroup
    • Key assumptions:
      • Coinciding interests lead to harmonious relations
      • Conflicting interests lead to hostile relations
    • Evidence supporting RCT:
      • Explains various conflicts, such as between men and women, Palestinians and Israelis, and racial groups
      • Economic competition linked to intergroup violence
    • Criticisms and limitations:
      • Methodological issues with Sherif's studies
      • Oversimplification of intergroup conflict causes
      • Assumption of conflict as a zero-sum game

    Contact Hypothesis

    • Proposed by Allport (1954): intergroup conflict can be reduced by bringing groups into contact under certain conditions
    • Conditions:
      • Equal status
      • Common goals
      • Intergroup cooperation
      • Support of authorities
      • Acquaintance or friendship potential
    • Evidence supporting the Contact Hypothesis:
      • Early evidence: desegregation of the merchant marine in 1948
      • Studies on various groups, including Chinese students, German and Turkish school children, and stigmatized groups
      • Meta-analysis: highly significant effect size across 714 independent samples
    • Criticisms and limitations:
      • Assumption that contact reduces prejudice through reduced ignorance
      • Alternative explanations, such as reduced anxiety and increased empathy
      • Generalization of effects and typicality of outgroup members

    Genocide and the Holocaust

    • Genocide: an attempt to exterminate a group by creating conditions that lead to the group's destruction
    • Mass killing: killing group members without the intention to eliminate the whole group
    • Factors contributing to genocide:
      • Difficult life conditions
      • Certain cultural-societal characteristics
      • Continuum of destruction
    • Psychological consequences:
      • Threat to self-concept
      • Disorganization and anxiety
    • Resolving the problem of genocide:
      • Devaluing the outgroup to enhance self-esteem
      • Turning against others to feel in control
      • Blaming the outgroup for threatening conditions

    Social Identity Theory (SIT)

    • Developed by Tajfel and Turner to explain intergroup behavior and discrimination
    • Key assumptions and processes:
      • Social categorization to simplify the social world
      • Formation of a social identity or social self
      • Inherent need to evaluate the self positively
      • Comparisons with outgroups to enhance self-esteem
    • Evidence supporting SIT:
      • Studies on social identity and intergroup discrimination
    • Criticisms and limitations:
      • Complexity of self-esteem and intergroup discrimination
      • Alternative strategies for self-esteem enhancement
      • Context-dependent predictions
    • Self-esteem enhancement strategies:
      • Social mobility
      • Social change
      • Social creativity
      • Social competition

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    Description

    This essay examines the key aspects of Terror Management Theory, evidence supporting the theory, and criticisms that have been raised. It also explores the importance of self-esteem and its link to anxiety.

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