Terror Management TheoryTMT Holtgraves恐惧管理理论TMT holtgraves.pptVIP

Theory (TMT) Adapted from: Russ Webster Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas Terror Management TMT’s Existential Roots Existential psychology began in reaction to Freud’s theories Both Freudian and existential psych explore the motivational consequences of human (unconscious) conflicts However, they differ in which conflicts fundamentally influence human behavior For Freud we manage sexual conflict; For existential psychs our search for meaning, freedom, coherence ultimately stemmed from the fear of death TMT Theorists Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, and Sheldon Solomon were all grad students at University of Kansas in the 1970s Penned theoretical papers explaining TMT’s principles (1986) Ernest Becker’s (1976) The Denial of Death cornerstone of theory TMT: Main Tenets Fear of death is innate universal and unique to humans Self-awareness leads to the recognition that death is unstoppable and unpredictable Fear of death fundamental source of human conflict and anxiety Death naturally conflicts with our powerful self-preservation and freedom instincts Ultimate motive: to manage this terror Thus, TMT holds that human behavior fundamentally demonstrates how we cope or manage this anxiety – this terror – of death; You’ve got to be kidding me? How often do you really think about death daily? How can death be responsible for intergroup conflict? We learn to automatically – that is, unconsciously – repress and manage the fear of death using a “dual-component buffer”: A) Self-esteem B) Culture (individualized worldview) Culture Self-esteem: Terror management mechanisms It all goes back to childhood, right? Awareness of death Before full awareness: “The monster under the bed” Full awareness not until around 10 – 12 y/o But from infancy… Develop relationship between “being good” and having our needs met, anxiety alleviated Develop a sense of the self (i.e., self-esteem) through these caregiver-child transactions Explains our obsession with high self-esteem From