Existential Threat Fuels Worldview Defense, but not after Priming Autonomy Orientation

Vail, Kenneth E.; Conti, Joseph P.; Goad, Alexis; Horner, Dylan E.

doi:10.1080/01973533.2020.1726747

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Research shows that autonomous regulation (i.e., self‐determination) decreases death anxiety (Horner, 2019) and defensive reactions (Vail et al, 2020) following MS. Research conducted during the pandemic also indicates that basic psychological need satisfaction predicts well‐being during the pandemic (Cantarero et al, 2021; Holzer et al, 2021; Šakan et al, 2020). Future research can investigate whether the moderating effect of goal orientation in the relationship between MS and life evaluation arises from the difference in autonomous regulation or basic psychological need satisfaction between extrinsically and intrinsically oriented individuals.…”

Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How thoughts of death and intrinsic/extrinsic goal orientation affect well‐being during the pandemic

Sonmez

2021

Journal of Consumer Affairs

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During the COVID‐19 pandemic, reminders of death are so ubiquitous that it is almost impossible to avoid death‐related thoughts. This research examined the effect of COVID‐19‐induced thoughts of death on life evaluation, a core component of well‐being, and investigated the moderating role of goal orientation in this effect. Results from two experiments (N = 384) indicated that participants with a relative orientation toward extrinsic aspirations (wealth, fame, image) decreased their life evaluation, both when under conscious death thoughts (Study 1) and after being distracted from these thoughts (Study 2). By contrast, participants with a relative orientation toward intrinsic aspirations (personal growth, meaningful relationships, community contributions) increased their life evaluation when under conscious death thoughts, while they maintained their baseline life evaluation after being distracted from these thoughts. This research also found evidence for the moderating role of belongingness. However, no evidence was found for the moderating roles of self‐esteem and attachment style.

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Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How thoughts of death and intrinsic/extrinsic goal orientation affect well‐being during the pandemic

Sonmez

2021

Journal of Consumer Affairs

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“…Following a detailed examination, 13 of these studies were excluded. One study did not use p values (Vail III et al, 2020), two studies reported a key p value as significant that was not actually significant (Lu et al, 2017;Romero-Sánchez et al, 2019), six studies did not prime autonomous and controlling motivational states (Bargh et al, 2001;Custers & Aarts, 2005;Evans et al, 2014;Leander et al, 2011;Radel et al, 2013;Shah, 2003), two studies did not provide enough information to enable the calculation of a test statistic (necessary for conducting p-curve analysis; Milyavskaya & Koestner, 2011;Ntoumanis et al, 2014), one study included another manipulation in addition to the motivational prime (Hodgins et al, 2010), and one study did not actually test their hypothesis-upon testing it, we found it was non-significant (Radel et al, 2009). Thus, 30 studies were included in p-curve analysis (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

P-Curve analysis of autonomous and controlling motivation priming effects supports their evidential value

Murphy

Steel

2021

Motiv Emot

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Extant literature consistently demonstrates the level of self-determination individuals experience or demonstrate during an activity can be primed. However, considering most of this literature comes from a period wherein p-hacking was prevalent (pre-2015), it may be that these effects reflect false positives. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether published literature showing autonomous and controlling motivation priming effects contain evidential value or not. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant priming research, while set rules determined which effects from each study would be used in p-curve analysis. Two p-curves including 33 effects each were constructed. P-curve analyses, even after excluding surprising effects (e.g., effects large in magnitude), demonstrated that literature showing autonomous and controlling motivation priming effects contained evidential value. The present findings support prior literature suggesting the effects of autonomous and controlling motivation primes exist at the population level. They also reduce (but do not eliminate) concerns from broader psychology that p-hacking may underlie reported effects.

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“…Indirect evidence for that idea comes from studies testing TMT’s buffer hypothesis, finding that MS typically increases DTA and worldview defenses—but not if participants first engaged in a self-affirmation task that asked them to spontaneously (presumably autonomously) express and affirm their nearest and dearest values (Schmeichel & Martens, 2005; Vail et al, 2018). More direct evidence comes from recent studies finding that MS motivated worldview defenses, but not after an autonomy prime (Vail et al, 2020). Correlational work also finds autonomy is associated with a sense of symbolic immortality and meaning in life, resources helpful in buffering existential concerns (Horner et al, 2021).…”

Section: Death-awareness As a Threat To Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The captain of my soul: Self-determination and need-satisfaction help manage death-related cognition, anxiety, and well-being.

Vail,

Horner

2023

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

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The present research tested the idea that a self-determined orientation may help people manage death-related thoughts and anxieties, and mitigate the effects of death awareness on well-being. Seven studies (N = 3,331), using a diversity of measures and manipulations, were consistent with that idea. First, mortality salience (vs. other topic primes) increased death-thought accessibility, but not if participants had high need-satisfaction (Study 1, n = 160; Study 2, n = 216) or were prompted to recall self-determined experiences (Study 3, n = 188). Second, need-satisfaction was associated with reduced death anxiety (Study 4a, n = 301; Study 4b, n = 1,848), and priming self-determined concepts eliminated the effect of mortality salience on death anxiety (Study 5, n = 119). Third, heightened death-thought accessibility was related to lower satisfaction with life (Study 6, n = 271) and happiness (Study 7, n = 228), but not among those with high need-satisfaction. Supplemental analyses suggested the effects of need-satisfaction were not due to associations with affect (Studies 1, 6, 7), epistemic certainty (ideological dogmatism, Study 4a), or mindfulness (Studies 5b and 6); need-satisfaction mitigated the effects of existential concern via self-esteem but not via growth orientation (Study 4b) nor due to its relationship with Openness (Studies 6 and 7). Together, these findings suggest a self-determined orientation can help buffer existential concern and buoy well-being and point to a potential existential protective function beyond its known growth-oriented functions.

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Existential Threat Fuels Worldview Defense, but not after Priming Autonomy Orientation

Cited by 12 publications

References 79 publications

How thoughts of death and intrinsic/extrinsic goal orientation affect well‐being during the pandemic

How thoughts of death and intrinsic/extrinsic goal orientation affect well‐being during the pandemic

P-Curve analysis of autonomous and controlling motivation priming effects supports their evidential value

The captain of my soul: Self-determination and need-satisfaction help manage death-related cognition, anxiety, and well-being.

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