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Self-consciousness and death cognitions from a terror management perspective
Orit Taubman-Ben-Ari1, Adi Noy2
1The Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. taubman@mail.biu.ac.il
Death Studies
|February 1, 2014
Summary
High self-consciousness is linked to frequent death thoughts. Individuals with lower self-consciousness use cultural beliefs more after mortality reminders, unlike those with higher self-consciousness.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Self-consciousness influences cognitive processes and emotional responses.
- Terror Management Theory (TMT) posits that awareness of mortality drives cultural value endorsement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between self-consciousness and death cognitions.
- To examine how self-consciousness moderates responses to mortality salience.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Correlational analysis of self-consciousness and death thought accessibility (n=56).
- Study 2: Experimental manipulation of mortality salience and assessment of cultural worldview validation (n=212).
Main Results:
- A positive association exists between ruminative self-consciousness and death thought accessibility.
- Mortality salience increased cultural worldview validation only in low self-consciousness individuals.
- High self-consciousness individuals exhibited heightened death awareness, influencing social transgression judgments independently of mortality salience.
Conclusions:
- Elevated self-consciousness may function as a continuous internal reminder of mortality.
- Self-consciousness significantly modulates the impact of mortality salience on cultural worldview defense.
- Findings support Terror Management Theory's propositions regarding self-awareness and existential concerns.
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