The core claim
Humans, unlike other animals, can reflect on their own mortality. The theory proposes that cultural worldviews offer a sense of lasting meaning, and that self-esteem comes from living up to a worldview's standards. Together, these are said to act as a buffer against existential dread.
Mortality salience
The theory's main test is the mortality salience hypothesis. When people are reminded of their death, they should defend their worldview more strongly. Studies have reported harsher judgments of those who break cultural norms and greater favouritism toward people who share the participant's beliefs.
The state of the evidence
A meta-analysis of early research reported a moderate effect, but later concern has grown. A large multi-lab project, Many Labs 4, failed to replicate a classic mortality salience effect. Proponents and critics continue to debate how such studies should be run, and whether the theory explains more than other accounts of threat and uncertainty.
Further reading
- Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (1986). The causes and consequences of a need for self-esteem: A terror management theory. In R. F. Baumeister (Ed.), Public self and private self (pp. 189-212). Springer.
- Burke, B. L., Martens, A., & Faucher, E. H. (2010). Two decades of terror management theory: A meta-analysis of mortality salience research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14, 155-195.
- Klein, R. A., et al. (2022). Many Labs 4: Failure to replicate mortality salience effect with and without original author involvement. Collabra: Psychology, 8, 35271.