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

What is the primary motivation behind the human need for self-esteem, according to Terror Management Theory?

  • To develop a sense of autonomy from parental influence
  • To maintain a sense of control over one's life
  • To protect oneself from anxiety related to mortality (correct)
  • To achieve a sense of belonging in a social group

    • According to the research, what is the outcome of increasing self-esteem in response to threatening stimuli?

  • No significant change in anxiety or defensiveness
  • Reduced anxiety and defensiveness (correct)
  • Increased faith in one's worldview
  • Increased anxiety and defensiveness

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

  • Death anxiety
  • Existential dread
  • Life significance
  • Mortality salience (correct)

    • According to TMT, what is the primary role of cultural worldviews?

    <p>To provide a sense of meaning and order</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the proposed link between self-esteem and protection from anxiety, according to TMT?

    <p>Self-esteem serves as a buffer against death anxiety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the proposed link between parent's love and self-esteem, according to TMT?

    <p>Parent's love and protection internalize standards of goodness and value</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the outcome of mortality salience, according to research?

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

    What is the primary criticism of Terror Management Theory?

    <p>It has limited empirical support</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an alternative explanation for the effects of mortality salience besides fear of death?

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

    What is the consequence of stigma on individuals and groups?

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

    What is an example of a coping strategy used by stigmatized individuals?

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

    What is the term for the idea that group identification can be an important source of support and protection?

    <p>Social Cure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main assumption of Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)?

    <p>People's attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members reflect the objective interests of the ingroup</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of evidence supporting Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of Sherif's classic field experiments?

    <p>Methodological issues and experimenter involvement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a consequence of attributing negative outcomes to prejudice?

    <p>Decreased perceived control</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of stigma, as defined by Brown (2010)?

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

    What is an example of a group that can provide support and protection, according to the Social Cure?

    <p>Ingroup</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of the studies on intergroup conflict?

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

    What is a condition for reducing intergroup conflict according to the Contact Hypothesis?

    <p>Intergroup cooperation and equal status</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What has been shown to reduce prejudice in addition to direct contact?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of the Contact Hypothesis?

    <p>It assumes contact reduces prejudice through reduced ignorance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of contact in reducing prejudice?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the correlation between contact and reduced prejudice?

    <p>r = -.23</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a negative effect of contact?

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

    What is a finding about the effectiveness of contact?

    <p>Contact may not be effective for Maori living with many Pakeha.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a model that proposes a mechanism for reducing bias?

    <p>The Decategorization Model</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a concern about the generalization of effects in contact?

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

    What has been found to be more potent than positive contact?

    <p>Negative contact</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between genocide and mass killing?

    <p>Genocide involves intention to eliminate the whole group, while mass killing does not</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are 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 primary reason why people turn against an outgroup during difficult life conditions?

    <p>To overcome feelings of disorganization and anxiety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary characteristic of cultural-societal characteristics that contribute to genocide?

    <p>Cultural devaluation of a subgroup</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

    <p>Beneficiaries of the victims' fate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between internal and external bystanders?

    <p>Internal bystanders are within the group, while external bystanders are outside the group</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason why the Nazis treated everyone badly in the concentration camps?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary outcome of people harming others, according to Zimbardo's experiment?

    <p>They start with less intense harm and increase over time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason why people distance themselves from victims?

    <p>To reduce empathetic suffering</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary outcome of the continuum of destruction?

    <p>The motivation to harm others increases over time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the outcome of the German ally government's plan to deport Jews during the Holocaust?

    <p>Fewer Jews were sent to camps due to the intervention from the church and monarchys.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the reaction of the population to the Nazi's anti-Jewish measures?

    <p>There was little reaction from the population, which favored the Nazi's goals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the way people categorize the social world to simplify it?

    <p>Social categorization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary goal of social identity theory?

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

    What is the outcome of comparisons favoring the outgroup, according to social identity theory?

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

    What is the term used to describe the strategies used to maintain a positive social identity, according to social identity theory?

    <p>Self-esteem enhancement strategies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary criticism of social identity theory?

    <p>The relationship between self-esteem and intergroup discrimination is more complex than initially proposed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the process of finding new comparison dimensions to enhance self-esteem, according to social identity theory?

    <p>Social creativity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the outcome of social mobility strategies, according to social identity theory?

    <p>Leaving one group to join another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor that influences the choice of self-esteem enhancement strategies, according to social identity theory?

    <p>All of the above</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
    • Suggests that self-esteem protects individuals from anxiety, particularly death anxiety
    • According to Becker, humans' intellectual abilities lead to awareness of vulnerability and inevitable death, causing potential debilitating anxiety
    • To manage this anxiety, people often adopt cultural worldviews that provide a sense of meaning and order
    • Self-esteem serves as a buffer against death anxiety, and its development in early childhood is influenced by interactions with parents

    Research Supporting TMT

    • Greenberg's study: increasing self-esteem reduces anxiety and defensiveness in response to threatening stimuli
    • Study: mortality salience (MS) increases the need for faith in one's worldview

    Criticisms of TMT

    • Questioning the universality of fear of death as a motivating force
    • Alternative explanations for MS effects, such as motives for uncertainty reduction, meaning, and belonging
    • MS can lead to opposing effects

    Stigma and Well-being

    • Stigma: any characteristic that marks a person for social devaluation
    • Consequences of stigma: negative experiences, including harmful comments, exclusion, and abuse
    • Coping strategies: restricting comparisons to within-group members, disengaging from dimensions, and attributing negative outcomes to prejudice
    • The Social Cure: group identification can be a source of support and reduce depression, increase control, and improve well-being

    Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)

    • Defined by Campbell: people's attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members reflect the objective interests of the ingroup
    • Assumptions: coinciding interests lead to harmonious relations, conflicting interests lead to hostile relations
    • Evidence supporting RCT: explains various conflicts, including economic competition and historical specificity of prejudice
    • Criticisms and limitations: methodological issues, oversimplification of causes of intergroup conflict, and assumption of conflict as a zero-sum game

    The 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, and acquaintance or friendship potential
    • Evidence supporting the Contact Hypothesis: early and recent studies, including meta-analysis, show reduced prejudice through contact
    • Criticisms and limitations: assumption of reduced ignorance, generalization of effects, typicality of outgroup members, and negative contact

    Genocide and the Holocaust

    • Genocide: attempt to exterminate a group by creating conditions leading to its destruction
    • Mass killing: killing group members without intention to eliminate the whole group
    • Holocaust: 6 million Jews and 5 million others killed
    • Factors contributing to genocide: difficult life conditions, certain cultural-societal characteristics, and a continuum of destruction
    • Psychological consequences: threat to self-concept, disorganization, and anxiety

    Social Identity Theory (SIT)

    • Developed by Tajfel and Turner: explains intergroup behavior and discrimination
    • Key assumptions: social categorization, formation of social identity, and inherent need to evaluate the self positively
    • Evidence supporting SIT: studies show link between social identity and intergroup discrimination
    • Criticisms and limitations: complex relationship between self-esteem and intergroup discrimination, alternative strategies, and context-dependent predictions

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    Explore the key aspects of Terror Management Theory, its evidence, and criticisms. Learn how self-esteem plays a crucial role in psychological and behavioral outcomes.

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