Terror Management Theory

Allport = Proposed the Contact Hypothesis Pettigrew = Conducted meta-analysis on the effectiveness of the Contact Hypothesis Brewer = Developed the Decategorization Model Gaertner = Proposed the Common Ingroup Identity Model

Zero-sum game = A situation where one group's gain is another group's loss Intergroup cooperation = Working together to achieve a common goal Acquaintance potential = The possibility of forming friendships Secondary Transfer Effect = Reduced prejudice towards other ethnic minorities

Assumption of reduced ignorance = Questioned as an explanation for reduced prejudice Generalization of effects = Concerns about improved attitudes not extending to other outgroup members Typicality of outgroup members = Importance of outgroup members being seen as representative Negative contact = Found to be more potent than positive contact

Pettigrew = Found a highly significant effect size (r = -.23) across 714 independent samples Wright et al. = Showed that extended contact can reduce prejudice Aronson et al. = Found that vicarious contact through stories and media can reduce prejudice Miles & Crisp = Demonstrated the effectiveness of imagined contact in reducing prejudice

Decategorization Model = Brewer et al. Common Ingroup Identity Model = Gaertner & Dovidio Contact Hypothesis = Allport Secondary Transfer Effect = Tausch et al.

Generalization of effects = Improved attitudes may not extend to other outgroup members Typicality of outgroup members = Importance of outgroup members being seen as representative Negative contact = Found to be more potent than positive contact Correlation between contact and prejudice = Small correlation (r = -.3)

Stigma = Any characteristic that marks a person for social devaluation Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) = Theory stating that people's attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members reflect the objective interests of the ingroup Mortality Salience (MS) = Fear of death as a universal motivating force The Social Cure = Group identification as a source of support and protection

Pettigrew & Tropp = Conducted a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of the Contact Hypothesis Cook = Found that improved attitudes towards outgroup members do not always extend to other outgroup members Harding et al. = Questioned the generalization of effects Wilder = Emphasized the importance of typicality of outgroup members

Jacobs & Wood = Study on murders in U.S. cities, linking economic competition to intergroup violence Howitt et al. = Changes in attitudes towards the USSR after WWII Turner et al. = Changes in attitudes towards Americans before and after the Gulf War Swim et al. = Negative experiences of stigmatised individuals, including anger and low self-esteem

Stigma = Negative outcomes, such as anger, anxiety, and low self-esteem Mortality Salience (MS) = Motivation for uncertainty reduction, meaning, and belonging Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) = Harmonious or hostile relations between groups The Social Cure = Reduced depression, increased control, and better health

Intergroup conflict = Conflict between different groups Prejudice = Negative attitudes towards outgroup members Contact = Bringing groups together under certain conditions Cooperation = Working together to achieve a common goal

Crocker et al. = Attributing negative outcomes to prejudice can help maintain self-esteem Sherif et al. = Intergroup competition leads to hostility, while cooperation promotes harmony Brown = Stigma can take many forms, such as skin color, religious orientation, and physical disability Kamyangara et al. = Experiences of prejudice and discrimination can lead to shame

Barlow et al. = Found that negative contact is more potent than positive contact Dixon et al. = Questioned the effectiveness of contact for minorities Tausch et al. = Demonstrated the Secondary Transfer Effect Sherif = Conducted studies on intergroup conflict

Common goals = Working together to achieve a shared objective Equal status = Groups having the same level of influence and authority Support of authorities = Official backing for intergroup contact Acquaintance potential = The possibility of forming friendships

Stigma = Coping strategies, such as restricting comparisons to within-group members and disengaging from dimensions Mortality Salience (MS) = Motivation for uncertainty reduction, meaning, and belonging Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) = Assuming conflicting interests between groups The Social Cure = Group identification for support and protection

Platow & Hunter = Methodological issues with Sherif's studies, such as complexity of the camp setting and experimenter involvement Brown & Pherson = Coping strategies, such as restricting comparisons to within-group members and disengaging from dimensions Crocker & Major = Coping strategies, such as restricting comparisons to within-group members and disengaging from dimensions Sherif = Classic field experiments demonstrating intergroup competition and cooperation

Stigma = Negative outcomes, such as low self-esteem and depression Mortality Salience (MS) = Motivation for self-protection and uncertainty reduction Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) = Harmonious or hostile relations between groups The Social Cure = Improved well-being and self-esteem through group identification

Crocker et al. = Attributing negative outcomes to prejudice Sherif et al. = Intergroup competition and cooperation Howitt et al. = Changes in attitudes towards the USSR after WWII Turner et al. = Changes in attitudes towards Americans before and after the Gulf War

Stigma = Social devaluation Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) = Assuming conflicting interests between groups Mortality Salience (MS) = Fear of death as a universal motivating force The Social Cure = Group identification for support and protection

Campbell = Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) Brown = Stigma and its various forms Sherif = Classic field experiments demonstrating intergroup competition and cooperation Crocker & Major = Coping strategies for stigmatised individuals

Genocide = An attempt to exterminate a group by creating conditions that lead to the group's destruction Mass killing = Killing group members of a group without the intention to eliminate the whole group Holocaust = A specific historical event where 6 million Jews and 5 million others were killed Continuum of destruction = A gradual increase in harm and violence towards a group

Threat to self-concept = Feeling disorganized and anxious Feeling of disorganization = Leads to fear and anxiety Blaming the outgroup = Reduces feelings of disorganization and anxiety Control over the situation = Restores self-concept

Difficult life conditions = Economic depression, political violence, and decline in a country's prestige Cultural-societal characteristics = Cultural devaluation of a subgroup, strong respect for authority, and ideology Continuum of destruction = Gradual increase in harm and violence towards a group Role of bystanders = Passive or active support for the genocide

Ervin Staub = Identified 3 major factors leading to genocide Genocide = Attempt to exterminate a group by creating conditions for destruction Bystanders = Individuals who do not directly participate in genocide but support it Holocaust = A historical event that resulted in 6 million Jewish deaths

Internal bystanders = People who are part of the group that is perpetrating the genocide External bystanders = People who are not part of the group but still benefit from the genocide Distancing = A way bystanders distance themselves from the victims to reduce empathetic suffering Protest = A form of active resistance by bystanders against the genocide

Threatening conditions = Lead to feelings of disorganization and anxiety Blaming the outgroup = Reduces feelings of disorganization and anxiety Cultural devaluation = Contributes to a group's destruction History of aggression = Increases the likelihood of genocide

Continuum of destruction = Gradual increase in harm and violence towards a group Cultural devaluation = The initial stage of genocide where a group is devalued Direct killing = Physical harm and killing of the targeted group Final solution = The ultimate goal of genocide, complete destruction of the group

Zimbardo's experiment = Demonstrated how people can gradually increase harm towards others Holocaust = A historical event that resulted in 6 million Jewish deaths Genocide = A deliberate attempt to exterminate a group Ervin Staub = Identified 3 major factors leading to genocide

Threat to self-concept = Feeling disorganized and anxious Disorganization and anxiety = Feeling overwhelmed and helpless Control over the situation = Restores self-concept and reduces anxiety Empathetic suffering = Feeling of distress when seeing others suffer

Protest = A form of active resistance by bystanders against the genocide Distancing = A way bystanders distance themselves from the victims to reduce empathetic suffering Passive support = Bystanders who do not actively participate but benefit from the genocide Active support = Bystanders who actively participate in the genocide

Lester = Linked self-esteem to various psychological and behavioural outcomes Rosenberg & Simmons = Explored the relationship between self-esteem and social comparisons Cialdini et al. = Found self-esteem to be related to self-serving biases Leary = Examined the importance of self-esteem in human behavior

Mortality salience = The awareness of one's own vulnerability and inevitable death Cultural worldviews = Systems of meaning and order that provide a sense of security Self-esteem = A buffer against death anxiety Anxiety = A feeling of safety and security

Greenberg = Found that increasing self-esteem reduces anxiety and defensiveness Becker = Proposed that humans' intellectual abilities lead to awareness of vulnerability and death Solomon et al. = Introduced the concept of Terror Management Theory Lester = Linked self-esteem to various psychological and behavioural outcomes

Self-serving biases = Tendencies to attribute success to internal factors and failure to external factors Social comparisons = Evaluations of oneself in relation to others Internalized standards = Personal values and principles adopted from parental interactions Faith in one's worldview = Confidence in one's cultural beliefs and values

Anxiety = Reduced through increased self-esteem Defensiveness = Decreased in response to threatening stimuli with high self-esteem Psychological well-being = Enhanced through high self-esteem Worldview faith = Increased in response to mortality salience

Cialdini et al. = Found self-esteem related to self-serving biases Rosenberg & Simmons = Explored the relationship between self-esteem and social comparisons Leary = Examined the importance of self-esteem in human behavior Solomon et al. = Introduced the concept of Terror Management Theory

Parent's love and protection = Providing a sense of goodness and value to children Internalized standards = Personal values and principles adopted from parental interactions Self-esteem = Developing from interactions with parents and later protecting against anxiety Cultural worldviews = Systems of meaning and order adopted from family and society

Terror Management Theory = Explains the human need for self-esteem as a buffer against death anxiety Self-esteem = A buffer against death anxiety Cultural worldviews = Systems of meaning and order that provide a sense of security Mortality salience = The awareness of one's own vulnerability and inevitable death

Social Identity Theory = Explains intergroup behavior and discrimination Contact Hypothesis = Reduces intergroup prejudice and discrimination Social Mobility = Leaving one group to join another Social Change = Finding new comparison dimensions or redefining negative attributes

Hunter et al. = Devaluing outgroups to enhance self-esteem Tajfel and Turner = Developing Social Identity Theory Lemyre and Smith = Providing evidence for Social Identity Theory Branscombe and Wann = Linking social identity and intergroup discrimination

Social Competitiveness = Direct competition with the outgroup Social Creativity = Finding new comparison dimensions or redefining negative attributes Social Mobility = Leaving one group to join another Social Change = Enhancing self-esteem through social identity

Social Categorization = Simplifying the complex social world Social Identity = Formation of a 'social self' Intergroup Behavior = Discrimination between groups Self-Esteem = Evaluating the self positively

Complexity of Self-Esteem = Relationship between self-esteem and intergroup discrimination is more complex Context Dependence = Predictions may not hold in all contexts Alternative Strategies = SIT acknowledges social mobility and social creativity as alternatives Boundary Permeability = Group boundaries affect choice of self-esteem enhancement strategies

Hunter et al. (2004, 2005, 2011) = Providing evidence for Social Identity Theory Lemyre and Smith (1985) = Linking social identity and intergroup discrimination Branscombe and Wann (1994) = Supporting Social Identity Theory's predictions Billig et al. (1988) = Encouraging prejudice against outgroups

Genocide = Ignored in the media, refusal to bomb death camps and refuse entry to refugees Discrimination = Result of intergroup behavior and prejudice Social Identity = Formation of a 'social self' and self-esteem Outgroup Devaluation = Enhancing self-esteem through prejudice

Tajfel and Turner = Developing Social Identity Theory Hogg and Abrams = Explaining social categorization Brown = Describing the formation of a 'social self' Turner et al. = Predicting intergroup discrimination

Social Mobility = Leaving a low-status group to join a high-status group Social Change = Enhancing self-esteem through social identity Social Competitiveness = Direct competition with the outgroup Social Creativity = Finding new comparison dimensions or redefining negative attributes

Ingroup Favoritism = Discrimination against outgroups Outgroup Devaluation = Enhancing self-esteem through prejudice Intergroup Behavior = Discrimination between groups Social Identity = Formation of a 'social self'