Death and design: the terror management function of teleological beliefs
Death and design: the terror management function of teleological beliefs
Humans have a tendency to endorse teleological beliefs about the world. According to terror management theory, teleological or purposeful beliefs about the world help people cope with the awareness of mortality. Though research is generally consistent with this assertion, it has not been directly tested. Three studies tested and supported the notion that teleological beliefs about the world serve a terror management function. In “Study 1”, experimentally elevated teleological beliefs reduced death-thought accessibility. In “Studies 2 and 3”, mortality salience increased teleological beliefs, even if this resulted in judgment errors. Alternative explanations were tested and did not account for the findings.
terror management, teleology, purpose, mortality salience
98-104
Davis, William E.
5c3c8816-b751-4a51-983a-0ed591b75b34
Juhl, Jacob
1c3b38b1-ba9e-4f3c-8520-ebca3b712fa2
Routledge, Clay
c1e0088a-3cc4-4d54-bbd3-de7d286429d8
1 March 2011
Davis, William E.
5c3c8816-b751-4a51-983a-0ed591b75b34
Juhl, Jacob
1c3b38b1-ba9e-4f3c-8520-ebca3b712fa2
Routledge, Clay
c1e0088a-3cc4-4d54-bbd3-de7d286429d8
Davis, William E., Juhl, Jacob and Routledge, Clay
(2011)
Death and design: the terror management function of teleological beliefs.
Motivation and Emotion, 35 (1), .
(doi:10.1007/s11031-010-9193-6).
Abstract
Humans have a tendency to endorse teleological beliefs about the world. According to terror management theory, teleological or purposeful beliefs about the world help people cope with the awareness of mortality. Though research is generally consistent with this assertion, it has not been directly tested. Three studies tested and supported the notion that teleological beliefs about the world serve a terror management function. In “Study 1”, experimentally elevated teleological beliefs reduced death-thought accessibility. In “Studies 2 and 3”, mortality salience increased teleological beliefs, even if this resulted in judgment errors. Alternative explanations were tested and did not account for the findings.
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Published date: 1 March 2011
Keywords:
terror management, teleology, purpose, mortality salience
Organisations:
Psychology
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Local EPrints ID: 348131
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/348131
ISSN: 0146-7239
PURE UUID: 253a1704-3cd5-4ba3-9979-385ded81a9ae
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Date deposited: 06 Feb 2013 13:37
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 12:55
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Author:
William E. Davis
Author:
Clay Routledge
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