Understanding posthumous sperm retrieval during war through a terror management theory perspective

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Sociology
• Thanatology

Background:

• Terror Management Theory (TMT) posits anxiety buffers (cultural worldviews, self-esteem, proximity seeking) manage death awareness.
• Posthumous sperm retrieval (PSR) is a practice used by grieving families, particularly following military deaths.
• A significant increase in PSR requests followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explain the surge in posthumous sperm retrieval requests using Terror Management Theory's anxiety buffers.
• To qualitatively examine PSR as a manifestation of symbolic immortality needs in response to existential threat.
• To integrate TMT with Israeli societal values (military ethos, familism, pronatalism) to understand the phenomenon.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis using interpretive phenomenology.
• Examination of posthumous sperm retrieval requests as data.
• Integration of TMT with socio-cultural factors in Israeli society.

Main Results:

• The October 7th terror event created an existential threat, increasing demand for PSR.
• Requests for PSR signify a need for symbolic immortality on personal and national levels.
• Societal pronatalist and familyist values, alongside military ethos, amplify the PSR phenomenon in Israel.

Conclusions:

• TMT provides a framework for understanding the heightened demand for PSR following a terror event.
• PSR serves as a mechanism for achieving symbolic immortality and mitigating death anxiety.
• The phenomenon is shaped by a confluence of psychological defense mechanisms and specific cultural values.