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Specific and Individuated Death Reflection Fosters Identity Integration.
Laura E R Blackie1, Philip J Cozzolino2, Constantine Sedikides3
1Department of French and Francophone Studies, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|May 7, 2016
Summary
Contemplating mortality helps integrate conflicting aspects of identity, fostering a unified self-concept. This existential contemplation is linked to improved psychological well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Existential Psychology
Background:
- Identity integration involves unifying diverse or conflicting self-perceptions into a coherent whole.
- Existential concerns, such as mortality, can influence psychological processes and self-concept formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if contemplating mortality in a specific, individualized way promotes identity integration.
- To examine the effects of death reflection on the assimilation of life experiences, values, and needs.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted using a death reflection manipulation compared to control conditions.
- Participants in the death reflection group considered mortality and its implications for their self-concept.
Main Results:
- Death reflection led participants to view positive and negative life experiences as equally significant.
- Participants in the death reflection condition equally valued self-serving and other-serving principles.
- Mortality contemplation increased motivation to pursue both growth-oriented and security-oriented needs.
Conclusions:
- Specific contemplation of mortality facilitates the integration of disparate identity elements into a cohesive self.
- Identity integration, spurred by existential reflection, is associated with enhanced psychological well-being.
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