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Questions and Answers
What is the principal reason Ernest Becker believes humans are distinct from other animals?
What is the principal reason Ernest Becker believes humans are distinct from other animals?
According to Becker, what effect does knowledge of death have on individuals?
According to Becker, what effect does knowledge of death have on individuals?
What metaphor does Becker use to describe the cultural experience of humanity?
What metaphor does Becker use to describe the cultural experience of humanity?
How does the Cultural Worldview affect human experiences, according to Becker?
How does the Cultural Worldview affect human experiences, according to Becker?
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What does Becker suggest contributes to an individual's self-esteem?
What does Becker suggest contributes to an individual's self-esteem?
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What empirical theory was developed to test Becker's ideas about death and self-esteem?
What empirical theory was developed to test Becker's ideas about death and self-esteem?
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In the context of Mortality Salience, what is likely to happen when people are reminded of their death?
In the context of Mortality Salience, what is likely to happen when people are reminded of their death?
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What term does Becker use to describe the collective human experience framed by cultural beliefs?
What term does Becker use to describe the collective human experience framed by cultural beliefs?
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Why do humans try to escape their bodily existence?
Why do humans try to escape their bodily existence?
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What does the act of sex symbolize in human behavior?
What does the act of sex symbolize in human behavior?
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What happens when individuals perceive a worldview as invalid?
What happens when individuals perceive a worldview as invalid?
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How is personality defined in the context of existential perspective?
How is personality defined in the context of existential perspective?
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What factor contributes to differences in individual personality according to the content?
What factor contributes to differences in individual personality according to the content?
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How do subcultures and countercultures relate to individual personality?
How do subcultures and countercultures relate to individual personality?
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What is a potential psychological implication of managing existential anxiety?
What is a potential psychological implication of managing existential anxiety?
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What role does faith in a cultural worldview play in individual personality?
What role does faith in a cultural worldview play in individual personality?
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What was the primary focus of the study conducted by Rosenblatt et al. (1989)?
What was the primary focus of the study conducted by Rosenblatt et al. (1989)?
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In the study by Greenberg et al. (1995), which task did participants perform involving cultural objects?
In the study by Greenberg et al. (1995), which task did participants perform involving cultural objects?
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According to Peters et al. (2005), what factor influenced self-esteem related to strength before and after manipulation?
According to Peters et al. (2005), what factor influenced self-esteem related to strength before and after manipulation?
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What aspect did Adler highlight about older siblings in the family context?
What aspect did Adler highlight about older siblings in the family context?
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Freud's reinterpretation of the Oedipus Complex introduced which key ideas?
Freud's reinterpretation of the Oedipus Complex introduced which key ideas?
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What is suggested by the concept of contingencies of self-worth in relation to Horney and Rogers?
What is suggested by the concept of contingencies of self-worth in relation to Horney and Rogers?
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What was the dependent variable in Rosenblatt et al.'s 1989 study?
What was the dependent variable in Rosenblatt et al.'s 1989 study?
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What did the results indicate about how judges set bail for worldview violators?
What did the results indicate about how judges set bail for worldview violators?
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Study Notes
Psych 2123: Personality Psychology - Phenomenological Approach, Part 4
- Course title: Psych 2123: Personality Psychology
- Course description: Phenomenological Approach, Part 4
- Instructor: Joseph Hayes, Ph.D.
- Department: Psychology
Ernest Becker
- Cultural anthropologist, deeply influenced by Freud
- Developed existential psychodynamics
- Argued humans are animals, but their complex cognitive abilities (self-awareness, symbolic thought) set them apart
- Emphasized the freedom individuals have from restrictive biological urges, but also pointed out the immense anxiety stemming from the knowledge of inevitable death.
The Cost of Our Mental Abilities
- Acknowledges that the ability to contemplate death is incompatible with self-preservation instincts, creating a profound anxiety.
- This knowledge makes all possible ways of being meaningless and irrelevant, in essence rendering existence absurd.
- Death must be repressed/dismissed.
A Symbolic Solution
- Humans create and live within a symbolic world of meaning.
- The cultural drama—an elaborate social "play," akin to the concept of a grand stage.
- Humans are merely players in this cultural drama, and all roles are important and contribute to defining identity.
- This worldview is used as a means to transcend death anxieties.
The Cultural Drama
- The cultural drama is entirely created by human imagination, not nature.
- Individuals inhabit this imagined structure (matrix), playing characters within a fictional universe.
- It provides a shared means of understanding and experiencing the world, a worldview shared, structured, and ultimately objectified.
- Shared beliefs about reality exist, with individuals evaluating perceived reality in line with their internalized standards.
Death Transcendence
- The cultural framework will continue even after individual players are gone.
- Individuals strive to be remembered in some symbolic way through a significant role within the cultural drama.
- Self-esteem is vital and represents an individual's subjective value and commitment to fitting within the cultural drama standards.
Empirical Evidence
- Terror Management Theory: A theory that further investigated and tested Becker's ideas.
- The Mortality Salience Hypothesis: Addresses how the psychology of worldview and self-esteem can diminish the perceived threat of death.
- Reminder of death heightens the need for a worldview structure.
Mortality Salience Induction
- Explore emotions aroused by the thought of one's own death.
- Hypothesize about post-death existence.
Punishment for Worldview Violators
- Research (Rosenblatt et al., 1989) examined how judges dealt with those perceived to have violated the cultural worldview (hypothetical case study).
- Results: significantly higher bail bonds for these alleged worldview violators ($50 versus $455).
The Use of Cultural Icons
- Research (Greenberg et al., 1995) investigated how cultural icons (American flag, crucifix) affect individuals, contrasting them against neutral objects (cotton cloth, block of wood).
- Participants sifted sand, hung up objects, and their responses to tasks were measured.
- Findings indicate stronger emotional responses with cultural icons.
Striving for Self-Esteem
- Research (Peters et al., 2005) studied self-esteem in individuals presented with potential sources of anxiety.
- Participants squeezed a dynamometer under conditions of induced anxiety (death or dental pain).
- Results measured the impact on self-esteem under differing conditions.
Choosing a Valued Identity
- Adler's perspectives on birth order and role within the family drama.
- Concepts of self-worth and how we judge success in comparison to internalized values.
- The expectation of fulfilling a significant and worthwhile role to maintain lasting self-worth.
Freud Reconsidered
- A fresh interpretation of the Oedipus Complex in adulthood.
- The complex is linked to learning about death and potential helplessness.
- Emphasized how acknowledging death and the inability to control it are central components of this developmental stage.
Repression of the Sexual Instincts
- The motivational basis for suppressing sexual desires.
- The bodily experience of sexual desire becomes connected to death anxiety
- The desire to transcend the limitations of the body creates a need to elevate oneself beyond animalistic instinct.
Escape from Creatureliness
- Explores the cultural mechanisms that use symbolism to repress the awareness of our fundamental nature (creatureliness).
- Table etiquette, replacing physical acts, etc.
- Transformation of instinctive acts of desire and expression into symbolic ones
Implications for Understanding Conflict in a World
- People's need to believe their worldview is legitimate is critical.
- The belief system that helps us accept that death is inevitable.
- Conflict arises when someone disproves this, causing anxiety and responses like derogation, assimilation, and annihilation to protect the worldview.
Big Picture of Existential Perspective on Personality
- Personality is shaped by strategies for controlling existential anxiety concerning death and meaninglessness.
- Individuals create a symbolic character that embodies the values of their worldview by acting as though they will transcend the limiting nature of mortality.
Sources of Individual Differences
- Cultural contexts with a range of values and differing standards of importance.
- Variations in worldview, self-concept, levels of self-esteem, and approaches to fulfilling the cultural expectations influence how individuals perceive the world.
- An embrace of the reality of the cultural drama varies widely, affecting personal experiences.
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