concept1986-present

Terror Management Theory

Disciplines:

Summary

The social psychological theory, derived from Ernest Becker, that human culture and self-esteem function as buffers against the terror of mortality — and that reminders of death trigger worldview defense and self-esteem striving.

Core Contribution

From Becker: humans are unique in knowing they will die; the terror of mortality is the engine of civilization. TMT operationalization: mortality salience (reminding people of death) increases in-group favoritism, worldview defense, and hostility to those who challenge one's worldview. Cultural worldviews: the shared symbolic systems that give life meaning and transcend individual death. Self-esteem: the sense of meeting the standards of one's worldview — a death-anxiety buffer. One of the most experimentally productive theories in social psychology.

Key Spikes & Highlights

TMT's most striking experimental finding: reminding people of their death makes them more nationalistic, more hostile to outgroups, and more willing to endorse political violence — findings with obvious implications for how politicians deploy fear.

Historical Influences

Ernest Becker Freud

Intellectual Lineage

Existential Psychology Social Psychology

Allied Works

The Denial of Death In the Wake of 9/11 The Worm at the Core

Contemporaries & Peers

Attribution Theory Cognitive Dissonance

Minds Influenced

Political Psychology Intergroup Relations Consumer Behavior

Intellectual Posterity

Social Psychology Political Psychology Existential Psychology

Discussing