158 - Sheldon Solomon: Terror Management Theory and the Denial of Death
Oct 25, 2023
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Sheldon Solomon, Professor of Psychology, talks about terror management theory and the influence of Ernest Becker's 'The Denial of Death'. The discussion covers topics such as self-esteem, Freud's denial of death anxiety, the pursuit of meaning through heroism, flaws in Becker's book, origins of terror management theory, and achieving self-esteem from intrinsic sources.
Existential terror drives individuals to seek meaning and value in cultural worldviews, influencing behavior.
Cultural worldviews mitigate death anxiety and offer existential appreciation and life-enhancing possibilities.
Reminders of death evoke defensive reactions, highlighting the complex interplay between individual and cultural factors.
Deep dives
Existential terror and the management of meaning
Existential terror, arising from the human awareness of death, leads individuals to seek cultural worldviews that provide meaning and value in life. This fundamental motivation to maintain a sense of meaning and value influences our behavior at all times. When our sense of meaning or value is challenged or when death-related concerns are aroused, we respond defensively to restore confidence in our beliefs and faith in our personal worth.
The contributions of Ernest Becker and cultural worldviews
Ernest Becker's work on self-esteem and cultural worldviews has been influential in understanding the human pursuit of meaning. Cultural worldviews play a role in mitigating death anxiety and are ingrained in human behavior across history. Art, ritual burials, and religious beliefs indicate the significance of death concerns in human culture. However, cultural worldviews should be understood as more than just death denial. They can also serve as sources of existential appreciation and life-enhancing possibilities.
Research on death awareness and terror management
Studies on death awareness show that children become aware of death earlier than expected and are concerned about it. Terror management theory, as a psychological perspective, has explored mortality salience and death thought accessibility to understand how death reminders influence attitudes and behaviors. Reminding individuals of death can lead to defensive reactions, such as increased prejudice or fervent adherence to cultural beliefs. The theory highlights the complexity of human responses to death reminders and the interplay between individual and cultural factors.
Updating terror management theory
The current understanding of terror management theory reflects a need for further development and integration with other paradigms. Ideas from Joe Henrich's cultural evolution and Michael Tomasello's developmental psychology offer insights into the broader social aspects of cultural worldviews. It is important to consider how cultural beliefs and practices fulfill psychological needs while also facilitating cooperation and knowledge accumulation. The prescription may involve reflecting on existing cultural values and striving for attainable meaning and value that enhances psychological well-being.
Moving beyond death denial
Rather than solely focusing on death denial, there is value in exploring life-enhancing possibilities and existential appreciation. Recognizing the importance of self-esteem derived from within, rather than external sources, can contribute to well-being. Efforts to foster a sense of meaning and value should go beyond material pursuits and embrace connection, appreciation, and humility in the face of the vastness of existence. Practical applications can be found by creatively embracing both aspirational and practical ideas.
Sheldon Solomon is Professor of Psychology at Skidmore College. He is best known for developing terror management theory with Tom Pyszczynski and Jeff Greenberg, which explores human psychology and mortality. In this episode, Robinson and Sheldon discuss Ernest Becker’s groundbreaking book The Denial of Death, how it influenced him and his collaborators, and how they have studied—with the tools of contemporary social psychology—how humans are affected by their sense of mortality.
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.
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