THE TERROR

MANAGEMENT
THEORY
YOU WILL BE GIVEN PROMPTS (IMAGES) AND YOU WILL BE ASKED TO
WRITE A FEW WORDS ABOUT IT IN STICKY NOTES.
Intro Rules are explained and time is kept to the second. The exercise is first
individual and then in a group.

3 min The prompt is shown, and you need to write about it. Participants are
given 3 min only to describe the image INDIVIDUALLY. Use just “nouns
and verbs simple ideas in a few words. Create more than 8 cards.

12 min Participants form pairs. Each team will work for 12 min on the
underlying concept using the cards, drawing, and creating rough
sketches using as a base what was created in the previous iteration.

3 min times Teams will present to the group their thinking using what they just
created. Each pair has 3 min only to do so. Teams may be selected
#participants depending on the time available.

15 min Summary of the concept and establishing a connection with the ideas
and outputs from the exercise and how it connects to terror
management theory,
EXERCISE ONE

 Individually, briefly
describe the emotions
that the thought of
your death brought you
when you see these
images. You have 3
minutes.
EXERCISE ONE

 Individually, briefly describe the

emotions that the thought of
your death brought you when
you see these images. You have
3 minutes.
EXERCISE TWO
 As a pair, please write down,
as specifically as you can,
using drawings and your
writings of what you think
physically will happen to you
as you die? You have 12
minutes.
BRIEFING
What is the origin of the Terror Management Theory?

Originally, it was not called that. Ernest Becker developed it in

1973. By writing The Denial of Death, Becker claims humans
try to avoid death by rejecting it. Becker's central claim that
'the fear of death is the mainspring of human activity' is
supported by a wealth of scientific papers and research in this
book. Tom Pyszczynski, Sheldon Solomon, and Jeff Greenberg
developed Terror Management Theory in The Worm at the
Core. Today there are more than 500 studies on this subject.
Each examines a different facet of human behaviour
associated with the fear of death, such as aggression,
stereotyping, self-consciousness, etc. Research shows that the
fear of death can affect our behaviour without us even
realizing it, which makes exploring terror management theory
incredibly important.
There are three areas of research that empirically
support terror management theory.

An increase in self-esteem is directly related to a

decrease in anxiety. This indicates that self-esteem has
been freed from anxiety and physiological arousal. When
people think about death, they do everything they can to
protect their cultural worldview.

People always respond better to similar behavior of

others and more aggressive towards others. Nationalism
is an important example of war and hard times.

Research has shown that unconscious thoughts about

death can occur when cultural beliefs or self-esteem are
threatened.

All this suggests that terror control theory has a profound

effect on our behaviour as an attempt to reduce our fear
of death.
Why does it matter?
How does the fear of death affect our behaviour?

Terror management theory attempts to explain human

attempts to manage the fear of death by developing a
cultural worldview.

A worldview is an artificial belief system shared by people

who work to reduce their fear of death. They do this by giving
meaning and value to other people, objects and rituals. Each
culture offers its own interpretation of the value of human life
in the universe.

Each of them has a system of acceptable behaviour and

convinces those who follow him with the promise of
immortality.

We adopt these systems from various religious and cultural

norms to make ourselves feel that we are not forgotten or
somehow unable to live.
We can become immortal, either literally or symbolically.

Belief in the soul, heaven and the afterlife guarantees eternal immortality. Some
religions even offer reincarnation to those who are particularly good from that
religion's point of view.

Symbolic immortality is a great nation's idea of creating enormous wealth, having

children, and achieving significant achievements. They don't promise us an afterlife,
but they assure us that we won't be forgotten and we'll live anyway.

Terror management theory also tries to explain why people value themselves so
highly. This allows people to form deep bonds within their cultural group, which
increases self-esteem and personal meaning. What can lead to stereotyping and
discrimination are the close ties we each have to our own social groups. Because we
like to think our group is superior.

Fear of death is a universal emotion. It is a natural human reaction to the inevitable

end of life. It's interesting how it can divide us into cultures that fear and intimidate
each other. We all react differently to the terrifying thought of inevitable death.
NeuroScience proposes that something in our
cerebrums appears to make us become less
protective because of high confidence. The insula is
a part of the brain that has been shown to be
engaged with human consciousness.
High confidence individuals had diminished
movement in the insula to death-related causes
when contrasted with the action of the insula when
presented with commonly undesirable
improvements that were not connected with death.
The right front insula was less dynamic in high
confidence members for death-related sentences
when contrasted with sentences that were upsetting
but not demise related.
Defensive Thinking

Denial
Regression
Repression
Projection
Displacement
Rationalization
Reaction formation
Compensation
Intellectualization

HAVE YOU THOUGHT LIKE THIS WHEN

PROMPTED BY THE IMAGES?