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Questions and Answers
What is the primary finding regarding the effects of mortality salience according to Nilsson & Sinclair (2021)?
What is the primary focus of Terror Management Theory (TMT)?
Which negative response to mortality salience is more pronounced among conservatives?
Which of the following is NOT an effect associated with mortality salience according to TMT?
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What positive outcomes can reminders of death motivate individuals to pursue?
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How has the COVID-19 pandemic specifically impacted mortality salience and death anxiety?
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What behavior is likely to increase when individuals are reminded of their mortality?
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What is a characteristic of higher trait mindfulness in relation to mortality salience?
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According to TMT, what effect do reminders of death have on political views?
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What scale was used by Park & Pyszczynski (2019) to prime participants with mortality salience?
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What is one potential societal outcome resulting from mortality salience?
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Which method did Park & Pyszczynski (2019) use for comparison in their study on mortality salience?
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How does mortality salience affect interpersonal relations according to research?
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What was a significant finding by Arndt et al. (2010) regarding political views?
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What effect does the presence of mindfulness have on responses to mortality salience?
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Which of the following behaviors is associated with the effects of mortality salience on individuals?
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What psychological theory explains how reminders of mortality influence behavior and cognition?
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Which of the following responses to mortality is categorized as a proximal defense mechanism?
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How do women’s fear of death patterns differ from men’s as they age?
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What do life instincts represent according to Freud?
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In Terror Management Theory, what is suggested as a response when thoughts of death are unconscious?
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What is the term used for the unconscious drive towards aggression and self-destructiveness?
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According to Irvin Yalom, what is one way people might cope with the fear of death?
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What paradox is suggested about human beings in relation to mortality?
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What does death anxiety fundamentally motivate people to do, according to Terror Management Theory?
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Which coping mechanism is NOT aligned with Yalom’s ideas about how individuals handle the fear of death?
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According to the content, how can death anxiety manifest?
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What significant spike in fear of death is observed for women in their fifties?
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What phenomenon reflects that humans are preoccupied with thoughts of death according to psychoanalysis?
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What does Freud's statement 'The aim of all life is death' imply about human nature?
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What factor is NOT associated with increased death anxiety?
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Which age group is less likely to fear death despite increased contemplation of mortality?
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Which quote highlights the certainty of death as a universal condition?
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What term describes the awareness or reflection on one's mortality?
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Which of the following best describes the relationship between consciousness of self and mortality?
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Which of the following factors tends to lead to increased death anxiety in individuals 80 years and older?
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How does death anxiety typically differ between genders?
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What psychological state is associated with fear of death in younger adults, rather than older adults?
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What is a common misconception regarding mortality salience and death anxiety?
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Which factor has been identified as contributing to a lack of purpose in life and potentially increasing death anxiety?
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Study Notes
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
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Description
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.
