Freud's Life and Death Instincts

Freud's Life and Death Instincts

• Freud proposed two basic instincts: life instincts (eros/libido) and death instincts (thanatos/mortido)
• Life instincts focus on survival, growth, and creation
• Death instincts focus on aggression, self-destruction, and ultimately death

The Paradox of Mortality

• Humans are hardwired to survive and avoid death, but also hardwired to die
• This creates a paradoxical relationship with our own mortality
• Death is a universal condition of being human, but it is also a source of anxiety

Death Anxiety

• Death anxiety can be conscious or unconscious
• People are more preoccupied with death than they consciously realize
• Death anxiety can lead to a feeling of being at the mercy of external forces beyond our control

Factors Affecting Death Anxiety

• Age: Death anxiety tends to decrease with age, but can increase in older adults living in nursing homes
• Gender: Women often report greater death anxiety than men, but this difference tends to disappear by age 60
• Religiosity: To be examined in a later unit
• Mental health: People with poor mental health tend to have higher death anxiety
• Sense of control: A reduced sense of control over life increases death anxiety
• Pessimism: Pessimists tend to have higher death anxiety
• Lack of meaning in life: A lack of meaning in life and low self-esteem can increase death anxiety

Mortality Salience

• Greater mortality salience (awareness of death) does not always lead to increased death anxiety
• While older adults may be more likely to think about death, they often fear it less than younger adults

How People Cope with Death Anxiety

• Denial: People may deny the reality of death or try to divert their attention from it
• Displace: People may displace their fear of death onto other objects or situations
• Self-actualization: Some people cope with death anxiety by living with meaning and purpose
• Creativity and connection: Some people find meaning in their life and overcome death anxiety through creative expression and connection

Terror Management Theory (TMT)

• Proposed by Pyszczynski et al. (1999, 2004, 2006)
• Suggests death anxiety is one of the most significant motivators in human life
• The terror of absolute annihilation leads to a search for meaning in life

Dual Process Model of TMT

• TMT proposes two types of responses to threats:
  • Proximal defenses: Activated when thoughts of death are conscious and in focus, involving denial or attempts to prolong life
  • Distal defenses: Activated when thoughts of death are unconscious, involving increased adherence to worldviews and self-esteem enhancement

Effects of Mortality Salience in TMT

• Reminders of death can influence behavior:
  • Self-enhancement: People report more positive self-views
  • Defense of culture: People become more defensive of their country, culture, and values
  • Political views: People express more conservative political views
  • Prejudice: People exhibit more prejudice towards outgroups
  • Nationalism: People become more nationalistic
  • Status seeking: People pursue higher social status
  • Consumerism: People engage in more consumerism

Research on TMT and the Global Rise of Far-Right Nationalism

• Reminders of death, especially those associated with disease threats, lead individuals to more strongly defend their own views and act aggressively towards those who disagree
• Reminders of death increase feelings of nationalism and support for conservative political values, including anti-immigrant sentiment

Potential Positive Effects of Mortality Salience

• Reminders of death can motivate people to
  • Prioritize health
  • Pursue positive goals
  • Live up to their standards and beliefs
  • Build supportive relationships
  • Foster open-mindedness and growth-oriented behavior
• However, these outcomes are less common than negative effects

Death Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• The pandemic has resulted in a surge in mortality salience and death anxiety
• TMT helps explain some of the pandemic-related behaviors, such as increased fear and anxiety

Mindfulness and Mortality Salience

• Higher levels of mindfulness are associated with less defensive (more positive) responses to mortality salience

Meditation and Buddhism

• Studies have found that meditation practices can help reduce negative responses to reminders of death

Mortality Salience and Cultural Differences

• Studies using TMT have found cultural differences in defensive responses to mortality salience
• For example, people from collectivist cultures may be more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors in response to death reminders
• Individualist cultures may be more likely to engage in self-enhancement behaviors

Explore Freud's concepts of life and death instincts, including how these drive human behavior and shape our understanding of mortality. This quiz delves into the paradox of our existence and our inherent anxiety about death, highlighting factors that influence death anxiety across different demographics.