Evidence for terror management theory: I. The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who violate or uphold cultural values.

TLDR

Terror management theory proposes that awareness of death shapes social judgments. The study examined whether making mortality salient would lead participants to reward cultural value upholders and punish violators. Across six experiments, mortality salience produced harsher judgments toward a prostitute and more generous rewards for a cultural hero, effects that appeared only among participants with negative attitudes toward prostitution, were not attributable to heightened self‑awareness or physiological arousal, and were replicated using an alternative mortality salience manipulation.

Abstract

On the basis of terror management theory, it was hypothesized that when mortality is made salient, Ss would respond especially positively toward those who uphold cultural values and especially negatively toward those who violate cultural values. In Experiment 1, judges recommended especially harsh bonds for a prostitute when mortality was made salient. Experiment 2 replicated this finding with student Ss and demonstrated that it occurs only among Ss with relatively negative attitudes toward prostitution. Experiment 3 demonstrated that mortality salience also leads to larger reward recommendations for a hero who upheld cultural values. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that the mortality salience effect does not result from heightened self-awareness or physiological arousal. Experiment 6 replicated the punishment effect with a different mortality salience manipulation. Implications for the role of fear of death in social behavior are discussed.