Stereotypes and terror management: Evidence that mortality salience enhances stereotypic thinking and preferences.

Abstract

If stereotypes function to protect people against death-related concerns, then mortality salience should increase stereotypic thinking and preferences for stereotype-confirming individuals. Study 1 demonstrated that mortality salience increased stereotyping of Germans. In Study 2, it increased participants' tendency to generate more explanations for stereotype-inconsistent than stereotype-consistent gender role behavior. In Study 3, mortality salience increased participants' liking for a stereotype-consistent African American and decreased their liking for a stereotype-inconsistent African American; control participants exhibited the opposite preference. Study 4 replicated this pattern with evaluations of stereotypeconfirming or stereotype-disconfirming men and women. Study 5 showed that, among participants high in need for closure, mortality salience led to decreased liking for a stereotype-inconsistent gay man.

The effect of mortality salience on weapon bias

“…Previous research has also shown that implicit racism can be reduced by having individuals imagine a counter-stereotypical person (Blair, Ma, & Lenton, 2001). Unfortunately after reminders of mortality individuals prefer a stereotype confirming image of an outgroup member (Schimel et al, 1999). So for future research to be effective in real world settings, such as the life or death situations experienced by police officers and soldiers, not only will it be necessary to lessen stereotypical responses, the future research must also include effective ways of dealing with thoughts of mortality.…”

Not All Ideologies are Created Equal: Epistemic, Existential, and Relational Needs Predict System-Justifying Attitudes

“…Furthermore, situational manipulations of existential threat, such as making terrorism salient, cause participants to identify themselves as more politically conservative and to score higher on various indicators of system justification (Schimel, Simon, Greenberg, et al, 1999;Thórisdóttir & Jost, 2011;Ullrich & Cohrs, 2007).…”

Stereotypes in Social Psychology

“…At the individual level, stereotypes may help individuals cope with the fear of death. Indeed, according to terror management theory, people hold «cutlural worldviews», i.e., a set of beliefs about the organization of the world and about important values shared within a culture (Schimel et al, 1999). According to this theory, the primary function of these worldviews, of which cultural stereotypes are part, is to protect people against the fear of their own mortality.…”