Collaborative Research: Affective, Cognitive and Social Consequences of Death-Related Thought

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A series of experiments will be conducted to explore the psychological processes underlying the effects of death-related thought demonstrated in previous terror management research. The proposed research will: (a) explore the role of implicit affect (i.e., the activation of cognitive structures associated with affect without the direct subjective experience of emotion) in mediating the effects of death-related thought on social behavior, (b) explore the effect of death-related thought on the creative integration of new information and experience with existing psychological structures, with emphasis on the role of these processes in the stability and change of social stereotypes and self-concepts, and (c) investigate alternative ways in which members of minority groups and people alienated from the mainstream culture defend against death-related thoughts. The proposed research has important implications for understanding unconscious psychological defense, stereotyping, change and growth in the individual self-concept, minority alienation with the mainstream culture, and affiliation with deviant subgroups, such as gangs.