Smith LM, Kasser T. Mortality salience increases defensive distancing from people with terminal cancer.
DEATH STUDIES 2014;
38:44-53. [PMID:
24521045 DOI:
10.1080/07481187.2012.725449]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Based on principles of terror management theory, the authors hypothesized that participants would distance more from a target person with terminal cancer than from a target with arthritis, and that this effect would be stronger following mortality salience. In Study 1, adults rated how similar their personalities were to a target person; in Study 2, participants arranged two chairs in preparation for meeting the target person. Both studies found that distancing from the person with terminal cancer increased after participants wrote about their own death (vs. giving a speech). Thus, death anxiety may explain why people avoid close contact with terminally ill people; further analyses suggest that gender and self-esteem may also influence such distancing from the terminally ill.
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