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