Terror Management Theory of Self-Esteem and Cultural Worldviews: Empirical Assessments and Conceptual Refinements

Greenberg, Jeff; Solomon, Sheldon; Pyszczynski, Tom

doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60016-7

Cited by 1,206 publications

(1,480 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Indeed, considering issues relating to ill health poses a great threat to feelings of adequacy (Cohen & Sherman, 2014;Greenberg, Solomon, Pyszczynski, 1997). There is much research evidence suggesting that individuals often process personally relevant health-risk information defensively (Good & Abraham, 2007).…”

Section: Application Of Sat To Personally Relevant Health-risk Informmentioning

confidence: 99%

The moderating impact of self‐esteem on self‐affirmation effects

Düring

Jessop

2014

British J Health Psychol

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Objectives This study explored whether self‐esteem would moderate the effectiveness of a self‐affirmation manipulation at increasing openness to personally relevant health‐risk information. Design The study employed a prospective experimental design. Method Participants (N = 328) completed either a self‐affirmation manipulation or a control task, prior to reading information detailing the health‐related consequences of taking insufficient exercise. They then completed a series of measures assessing their cognitions towards exercise and their derogation of the information. Exercise behaviour was assessed at 1‐week follow‐up. Results Self‐esteem moderated the impact of self‐affirmation on the majority of outcomes. For participants with low self‐esteem, the self‐affirmation manipulation resulted in more positive attitudes and intentions towards exercise, together with lower levels of derogation of the health‐risk information. By contrast, there was no effect of the self‐affirmation manipulation on outcomes for participants with high self‐esteem. Conclusion Findings suggest that self‐affirmation manipulations might be of particular benefit for those with low self‐esteem in terms of promoting openness towards health‐risk information. This is promising from a health promotion perspective, as individuals with low self‐esteem often represent those most in need of intervention. What is already known on this subject? Self‐affirmation has been shown to result in more open processing of personally relevant health‐risk information. Individuals low in self‐esteem tend to process such information more defensively than those high in self‐esteem. What does this study add? It explores whether self‐esteem moderates the impact of self‐affirmation on responses to health‐risk information. Findings suggest that individuals with low self‐esteem benefit most from the self‐affirmation manipulation. This has important applied implications, as individuals with low self‐esteem may be most in need of intervention.

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Section: Application Of Sat To Personally Relevant Health-risk Informmentioning

confidence: 99%

The moderating impact of self‐esteem on self‐affirmation effects

Düring

Jessop

2014

British J Health Psychol

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“…1081-1082) DISCRIMINATION AS WORLDVIEW THREAT OR WORLDVIEW CONFIRMATION Worldviews help to satisfy humans' fundamental need to understand their social world and to feel like people of worth (Fiske, 2004;Hogg, 2001;Solomon et al, 1991). Hence, confirmation of one's worldview should increase feelings of certainty, security, and positive affect, whereas threats to one's worldview should increase feelings of vulnerability, distress, and negative affect (Greenberg et al 1997;Janoff-Bulman, 1989;Kaiser, Vick, & Major, 2004;Lerner, 1977). The strength with which a particular worldview is held determines the degree of negative affect that is likely to be experienced when it is threatened.…”

Section: Cultural Worldviews and Status Ideologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived discrimination as worldview threat or worldview confirmation: Implications for self-esteem.

Major¹,

Kaiser²,

O’Brien³

et al. 2007

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

273

312

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In 3 studies, the authors tested the hypothesis that discrimination targets' worldview moderates the impact of perceived discrimination on self-esteem among devalued groups. In Study 1, perceiving discrimination against the ingroup was negatively associated with self-esteem among Latino Americans who endorsed a meritocracy worldview (e.g., believed that individuals of any group can get ahead in America and that success stems from hard work) but was positively associated with self-esteem among those who rejected this worldview. Study 2 showed that exposure to discrimination against their ingroup (vs. a non-self-relevant group) led to lower self-esteem, greater feelings of personal vulnerability, and ingroup blame among Latino Americans who endorsed a meritocracy worldview but to higher selfesteem and decreased ingroup blame among Latino Americans who rejected it. Study 3 showed that compared with women informed that prejudice against their ingroup is pervasive, women informed that prejudice against their ingroup is rare had higher self-esteem if they endorsed a meritocracy worldview but lower self-esteem if they rejected this worldview. Findings support the idea that perceiving discrimination against one's ingroup threatens the worldview of individuals who believe that status in society is earned but confirms the worldview of individuals who do not.

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“…Individuals have a fundamental need to perceive their social world as stable, orderly, and predictable (Bowlby, 1969;Erickson, 1950;Greenberg, Solomon, & Pyszczynski, 1997;Jost & Banaji, 1994;Lerner, 1980;Marx & Engels, 1846/1970. Perceiving the social world as orderly and predictable provides individuals with a number of benefits, including enhanced control, motivation, self-efficacy, selfworth, mental health, and normative proscriptions for behavior (Greenberg et al, 1997;Janoff-Bulman, 1989;Lipkus, Dalbert, & Siegler, 1996).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perceiving the social world as orderly and predictable provides individuals with a number of benefits, including enhanced control, motivation, self-efficacy, selfworth, mental health, and normative proscriptions for behavior (Greenberg et al, 1997;Janoff-Bulman, 1989;Lipkus, Dalbert, & Siegler, 1996).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A prospective investigation of the relationship between just world beliefs and the desire for revenge post-September 11, 2001

Vick¹,

Kaiser²,

Major³

2004

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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ABSTRACT-We prospectively examined the relationship between individuals' belief in a just world and their desire for revenge against the perpetrators of the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States. Eighty-three undergraduate students who had completed a measure of just-world beliefs prior to the terrorist attacks were assessed approximately 2 months following the attacks. The more strongly they had endorsed justworld beliefs prior to the attacks, the more distressed they felt about the attacks and the more they desired revenge. Furthermore, the relationship between belief in a just world and the desire for revenge was mediated by feelings of distress in response to the terrorist attacks. The results point to the importance of justice beliefs in understanding responses to the terrorist attacks.

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Terror Management Theory of Self-Esteem and Cultural Worldviews: Empirical Assessments and Conceptual Refinements

Cited by 1,206 publications

References 75 publications

The moderating impact of self‐esteem on self‐affirmation effects

The moderating impact of self‐esteem on self‐affirmation effects

Perceived discrimination as worldview threat or worldview confirmation: Implications for self-esteem.

A prospective investigation of the relationship between just world beliefs and the desire for revenge post-September 11, 2001

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