Psychology: Terror Management Theory & Self-Esteem
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Questions and Answers

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

  • To boost confidence in social interactions
  • To improve cognitive abilities
  • To alleviate anxiety about mortality (correct)
  • To excel in academic achievements

    • What is the result of increasing self-esteem, according to Greenberg's study?

  • Increased anxiety and defensiveness
  • Increased aggression towards others
  • Reduced anxiety and defensiveness (correct)
  • No significant change in anxiety levels

    • What is the term for the awareness of one's own mortality, which is a central concept in TMT?

  • Existential dread
  • Mortality salience (correct)
  • Death anxiety
  • Self-esteem threat

    • What is the role of parents in shaping children's self-esteem, according to TMT?

    <p>They provide love and protection, which helps internalize standards for self-esteem</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the 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 result of mortality salience, according to a study on TMT?

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

    What is the primary function of cultural worldviews, according to TMT?

    <p>To manage the anxiety of mortality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between self-esteem and social comparisons, according to Cialdini et al.?

    <p>Self-esteem is positively related to social comparisons</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 a condition necessary for the Contact Hypothesis to be effective?

    <p>Equal status</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of extended contact, as mentioned in the text?

    <p>Vicarious contact through stories and media</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of the Contact Hypothesis?

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

    What is the approximate effect size of the Contact Hypothesis, according to Pettigrew and Tropp (2006)?

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

    What is a limitation of the Contact Hypothesis in terms of generalization?

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

    What is a negative consequence of contact, as mentioned in the text?

    <p>Negative contact is more potent than positive contact.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a concern regarding the effectiveness of the Contact Hypothesis?

    <p>The correlation between contact and reduced prejudice is small.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a psychological model that explains the Contact Hypothesis?

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

    What is a limitation of the Contact Hypothesis in terms of equality?

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

    What is one of the alternative explanations proposed for the effects of mortality salience?

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

    According to Brown (2010), what is a characteristic that marks a person for social devaluation?

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

    What is one of the negative experiences that stigmatised individuals often face?

    <p>Harmful comments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the coping strategies used by stigmatised individuals to protect themselves?

    <p>Restricting comparisons to within-group members</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the benefits of group identification, according to the 'Social Cure'?

    <p>Reduced depression</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the assumptions of Realistic Conflict Theory (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 one of the examples of conflicts that RCT can explain?

    <p>Conflicts between men and women</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the limitations of Sherif's classic field experiments?

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

    What is one of the negative outcomes associated with stigma?

    <p>Low self-esteem</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the ways that attributing negative outcomes to prejudice can help?

    <p>Maintain self-esteem</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

    <p>Little reaction, which was beneficial for the Nazi's</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of external bystanders in the continuum of destruction?

    <p>They are passive, having accepted the violence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Social Identity Theory, what is the purpose of social categorization?

    <p>To simplify the complex social world and evaluate the self positively</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result 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 primary purpose of social mobility strategies, according to Social Identity Theory?

    <p>To leave one group and join another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of social creativity in Social Identity Theory?

    <p>To find new comparison dimensions, redefine negative attributes, or compare with a different outgroup</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary intention behind genocide?

    <p>To create conditions that lead to the destruction of a group</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between mass killing and genocide?

    <p>The intention to eliminate the whole group</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a limitation of Social Identity Theory, according to Hunter et al. (2017)?

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

    What is a consequence of people not reacting to the Nazi's anti-Jewish measures?

    <p>It can function to confirm the beliefs of the perpetrators</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated number of Jews killed during the Holocaust?

    <p>6 million</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of devaluing the outgroup, according to Hunter et al. (2011)?

    <p>It can lead to increased self-esteem</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the major factors that contribute to genocide, according to Ervin Staub?

    <p>Difficult life conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of Social Identity Theory, according to Branscombe & Wann (1994)?

    <p>The theory does not account for alternative strategies for self-esteem enhancement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the psychological consequences of genocide?

    <p>Threat to self-concept</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of difficult life conditions that can contribute to genocide?

    <p>Economic conditions such as inflation and depression</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the cultural-societal characteristics that can contribute to genocide?

    <p>Cultural devaluation of a sub-group</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of bystanders in genocide?

    <p>Helping to prop the system up</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of internal bystanders during the Holocaust?

    <p>German women who protested against the deportation of their Jewish husbands</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the ways that bystanders can distance themselves from the victims of genocide?

    <p>By thinking that the victims deserve their fate</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 protects individuals from anxiety
    • Key aspects of TMT:
      • Extensive research links self-esteem to various psychological and behavioral outcomes
      • Self-esteem is related to self-serving biases and social comparisons
    • According to Becker, humans' intellectual abilities lead to awareness of vulnerability and inevitable death, causing potential for debilitating anxiety
    • To manage this, people adopt cultural worldviews that provide a sense of meaning and order
    • Self-esteem serves as a buffer against death anxiety
    • TMT proposes that the link between self-esteem and protection from anxiety 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
    • Study: mortality salience (MS) increases the need for faith in one's worldview

    Criticisms of TMT

    • People have questioned whether fear of death is a universal motivating force
    • Alternate 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, verbal and physical 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
    • The Social Cure:
      • Group identification can be a source of support
      • Linked to reduced depression, increased control, resilience, better health, and improved well-being

    Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)

    • Defined by Campbell: peoples' attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members reflect the objective interests of the ingroup
    • RCT assumes:
      • If interests coincide, relations between groups will be relatively harmonious
      • If there is conflict, relations between groups will become hostile
    • Evidence supporting RCT:
      • Explains various conflicts, such as those between men and women, Palestinians and Israelis, Catholics and Protestants, and racial groups
      • Economic competition linked to intergroup violence
    • Criticisms and limitations:
      • Methodological issues with Sherif's studies
      • RCT may oversimplify causes of intergroup conflict
      • Assumption that conflict is always perceived 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
      • Acquaintance or friendship potential
    • Evidence supporting the Contact Hypothesis:
      • Early evidence: desegregation of the merchant marine in 1948
      • Studies of white housewives in desegregated housing projects
      • Recent evidence from various groups
      • Meta-analysis by Pettigrew & Tropp (2006)
    • Criticisms and limitations:
      • Assumption that contact reduces prejudice through reduced ignorance
      • Alternative explanations, such as reduced anxiety and increased empathy
      • Generalization of effects
      • Typicality of outgroup members in contact situations

    Genocide and the Holocaust

    • Genocide: 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
    • Holocaust: 6 million Jews killed, 5 million others killed
    • Factors contributing to genocide:
      • Difficult life conditions
      • Certain cultural-societal characteristics
      • Continuum of destruction
    • Difficult life conditions can lead to:
      • Threat to self-concept
      • Anxiety and disorganization
    • Cultural-societal characteristics:
      • Cultural devaluation of a subgroup
      • Strong respect for authority
      • Ideology
      • Social organization
      • History of aggression
    • Continuum of destruction:
      • Dealing with problems by turning against an outgroup
      • Evolution of destruction
      • Learning by participation
    • Role of bystanders:
      • Can change as a result of their action
      • Distance themselves from the victim
      • Can benefit from the victim's fate
    • Two types of bystanders:
      • Internal bystanders
      • External bystanders

    Social Identity Theory (SIT)

    • Developed by Tajfel and Turner to explain intergroup behavior and discrimination
    • Key assumptions and processes:
      • Social categorization
      • Social identity or social self
      • Need to evaluate the self positively
      • Comparisons with relevant outgroups
    • Evidence supporting SIT:
      • Studies by Hunter et al. and others
    • Criticisms and limitations:
      • Relationship between self-esteem and intergroup discrimination is more complex
      • SIT does not always predict intergroup discrimination
      • Contextual factors can influence the choice of self-esteem enhancement strategies
    • Self-esteem enhancement strategies:
      • Social mobility
      • Social change
      • Social creativity
      • Social competition

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    Description

    This quiz critically evaluates the Terror Management Theory (TMT) and its relationship to self-esteem. It examines the key aspects of TMT, evidence supporting the theory, and criticisms raised.

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