L11- existential social psych

Question 1

What is the Terror Management Theory (TMT)?

Answer 1

Terror management theory (TMT) is a social psychology concept that humans have distress and anxiety related to the awareness of mortality and the inevitability of death. TMT suggests that this anxiety and psychological distress is subdued by investment in cultural beliefs and world views.

Question 2

How do we deal with the distal aspect of mortality salience?

Answer 2

• World view defence- the stronger the cognition the more we defend the world view
• Self-esteem- feeling self as a good contribute to perceived world view
  sustain hegemony of world view

Question 3

How do we deal with the proximal aspect of mortality salience?

Answer 3

• Deny vulnerability- the science isn’t clear on smoking

- Distract yourself- drink and smoke

Question 4

Why is worldview a means by which we deal with our mortality salience?

Answer 4

It is a way in which we remain symbolically immortal- although we will die, our culture and the worldview we were a part of won’t

Question 5

What are components of worldviews?

Answer 5

• Ingroup/ outgroup perceptions
• values
• practices
• social structure
• symbols
• reputations

Question 6

What were the experimental findings of Rosenblatt et al (89) in regards to priming judges with mortality salience and its effect on the subsequent setting of bails on prostitutes?

Answer 6

Found judges set bail 9x higher when primed with mortality salience

Question 7

What were the findings of Greenberg et al (90) regarding the evaluation of an interviewee who is positively or negatively evaluating the US political system, in a mortality salience or control condition?

a) Positive US system feed back and mortality salience condition evaluated interviewee more positively than control
b) Positive US system feed back and mortality salience condition evaluated interviewee more negatively than control
c) Negative US system feed back and mortality salience condition evaluated interviewee more positively than control
d) no significant findings

Answer 7

a) Positive US system feed back and mortality salience condition evaluated interviewee more positively than control

Question 8

The Superbowl commercial used death in an add about cars- why?

Answer 8

By priming individuals with mortality salience they then seek to minimise these existential anxieties- and do so by investing in wealth and culturally desired commodities, in turn attempting to strengthen their position within their worldview- makes them feel like they belong/ are doing what others want them to do, and so alleviates anxiety

Question 9

What did Dar Nimrod et al (12)’s study reveal on the effect of a death prime (watching the west wing) on the desirability of products?

a) Products were considered more appealing if they were played after death prime vs control
b) Products were considered less appealing if they were played after death prime vs control
c) No significant results were found

Answer 9

a) Products were considered more appealing if they were played after death prime vs control

Question 10

What are the two components of mortality salience?

Answer 10

• Distal- don’t think about it but is primed, so subconsciously is still engaged with our mortality concerns
• Proximal- an example is cigarettes- aware are cancerous