Collaborative Research: Exploration of the Breadth, Moderation, and Mediation of Motality Salience Effects

人们普遍认识到，人们有强烈的动机来保持对自己的积极看法，以及对他们所生活的世界的一致的、有意义的看法。然而，直到最近，很少有人注意到为什么这些非常基本的人类动机存在的问题。目前的研究主要集中在对这些动机的理论解释上。该理论（恐惧管理理论）认为，当人们想到或意识到自己不可避免的死亡时，自尊和文化世界观起到了保护人们免受恐惧的心理作用。出于这个原因，有人建议人们投入大量的努力来保持对自己世界观的信心和对自己自我价值的信念。在四个不同国家进行的实验性研究的积累为这一分析提供了支持。当前资助期的目标是扩展恐怖管理理论，以更好地理解其应用领域，并更深入地了解产生记录效应的潜在心理过程。广泛的实验方法将用于检验诸如刻板印象、帮助和努力说服他人等行为。

It is widely recognized that people are strongly motivated to maintain a positive conception of themselves and a consistent, meaningful conception of the world in which they live. Until recently, however, little attention has been paid to the question of why these very basic human motives exist. The current research is focused on a theoretical explanation for these motives. The theory (Terror Management Theory) suggests that self-esteem and cultural worldviews serve the psychological function of protecting people from the terror they feel when they contemplate or become aware of their own inevitable death. For this reason, it is proposed that people invest a significant amount of effort in maintaining faith in their own worldviews and belief in their own self-worth. Accumulating experimental research, conducted in four different countries, provides support for this analysis. The goal during the current funding period is to extend Terror Management Theory to better understand its domain of application, and to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying psychological processes that produce the documented effects. A broad range of experimental methods will be used to examine such behaviors as stereotyping, helping, and efforts to persuade others.