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To Protect or to Kill? Environmental Contingent Self-Worth Moderates Death Prime Effects on Animal-Based Attitudes.
Samuel Fairlamb1, Andrada-Elena Stan1, Katinka Lovas1
1Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|March 22, 2023
Summary
Protecting animals can manage existential anxiety, similar to killing animals. Environmental contingent self-worth (ECSW) influences how death awareness affects animal attitudes and feelings of invulnerability.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Environmental Psychology
Background:
- Terror management theory suggests death awareness can influence human behavior.
- Previous research indicates death primes increase support for killing animals.
- The current study explores if protecting animals can also serve a terror management function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if protecting animals can serve a terror management function.
- To examine the moderating role of environmental contingent self-worth (ECSW) on death primes and animal attitudes.
- To explore the mediating role of animal attitudes in the relationship between death primes, ECSW, and power-based invulnerability.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted with a total of 765 participants.
- Participants were exposed to death primes.
- Environmental contingent self-worth (ECSW) was measured, along with attitudes toward animals and beliefs about human-animal superiority/similarity.
Main Results:
- Environmental contingent self-worth (ECSW) moderated the effect of death primes on attitudes toward animals.
- Attitudes toward animals mediated the effect of death primes on power-based invulnerability, differing between low and high ECSW groups.
- Little evidence was found for death primes influencing beliefs about human-animal superiority or similarity.
Conclusions:
- Protecting animals can function as a terror management strategy when perceived as culturally valuable.
- ECSW plays a crucial role in how death awareness influences human-animal relations.
- Findings contribute to terror management research and inform strategies for promoting positive human-animal interactions.
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