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Everything about Terror management theory
Social and evolutionary psychology theory
Terror management theory (TMT) is a theory in social and evolutionary psychology which proposes a basic psychological conflict stemming from two competing facts of human existence: the instinct for self-preservation, and the realization that death is inevitable and to some extent unpredictable. This conflict produces terror, which is often managed through escapism and cultural beliefs that counter biological reality with more significant and enduring forms of meaning and value—basically countering the personal insignificance represented by death with the significance provided by symbolic culture. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: Terror management theoryA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: Mortality management and climate action: A review and reference for using Terror Management Theory methods in interdisciplinary environmental researchInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: Homeland InsecurityThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: Terror Management Theory and the COVID-19 PandemicCited 312 times
- Go sideways: Mortality salienceA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Scrooge effectA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
No dictionary entry for this exact phrase.
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
Terror Management Theory and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Greed, Death, and Values: From Terror Management to Transcendence Management Theory
Anxiety buffer disruption theory: a terror management account of posttraumatic stress disorder
Fear of Death in Older Adults: Predictions From Terror Management Theory
Terror management and cognitive-experiential self-theory: Evidence that terror management occurs in the experiential system.
Putting the Terror in Terror Management Theory
Cultural Estrangement and Terror Management Theory
Fear appeals and binge drinking: A terror management theory perspective
🆕 Influential since 2022
Mortality management and climate action: A review and reference for using Terror Management Theory methods in interdisciplinary environmental research
Not so terrifying after all? A set of failed replications of the mortality salience effects of Terror Management Theory
Examining terror management theory in Ukraine: impact of air-raid alarms and explosions on mental health, somatic symptoms, and well-being
Applying terror management theory to patients with life-threatening illness: a systematic review
The Antecedent of the Sustainable Purchasing Attitudes among Generation Z: A Terror Management Theory Perspective
📚 Books worth reading
- 📕Homeland InsecurityAnn Gordon, Kai Hamilton Gentry · 2021
- 📕Political hostage-taking in Western EuropeClive C. Aston · 1984
America responds to terrorismKaren A. Feste · 2011
Dark Web Exploring And Data Mining The Dark Side Of The WebHsinchun Chen · 2011
Peace In Turkey 2023 The Question Of Human Security And Conflict TransformationTim Jacoby · 2013- 📕The contested identities of Ulster ProtestantsT. P. Burgess, Gareth Mulvenna · 2015
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- Mortality salience Mortality salience is the awareness that one's death is inevitable and that all attempts to defer it indefinitely are ultimately futile. The term derives…
- Scrooge effect The Scrooge effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes a noticeable behavioural change in individuals towards increased generosity and altruism…
- Self-esteem functions Self-esteem can be defined as how favorably individuals evaluate themselves. According to Leary, self-esteem is the relationship between one's real self…
- Anxiety buffer disruption theory Anxiety buffer disruption theory (ABDT) is an application of terror management theory to explain an individual's reaction to a traumatic event, which leads…
- Death anxiety Death anxiety is anxiety caused by thoughts of one's own death, and is also known as thanatophobia (fear of death). This anxiety can significantly impact…
- Neuroticism Neuroticism or negativity is a personality trait with disagreement on its definition, but widely understood to be associated with negative emotions. It…
- Social comparison bias Social comparison bias refers to the tendency to feel dislike or competitiveness toward someone who is perceived as physically, socially, or mentally superior…
- Ernest Becker Ernest Becker (September 27, 1924 – March 6, 1974) was an American cultural anthropologist and author of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Denial…