Hiding in the Crowd: Can Mortality Salience Promote Affiliation With Others Who Oppose One’s Worldviews?

Wisman, Arnaud, Koole, S.L. (2001) Hiding in the Crowd: Can Mortality Salience Promote Affiliation With Others Who Oppose One’s Worldviews? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (3). pp. 511-526. ISSN 0022-3514. E-ISSN 1939-1315. (doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.511) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided)

Abstract

The present research highlights affiliation defenses in the psychological confrontation with death. In 3 experiments, it was found that mortality salience led to increased affiliation strivings, as indicated by a greater preference for sitting within a group as opposed to sitting alone. Mortality salience actually led to increased affiliation with a worldview-threatening group (Experiments 1–2), even when affiliation with the group forced participants to attack their own worldviews (Experiment 3). Taken together, the findings support a distinct role of affiliation defenses against existential concerns. Moreover, affiliation defenses seem powerful enough to override worldview validation defenses, even when the worldviews in question are personally relevant and highly accessible.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.511
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Psychology > Social Psychology
Depositing User:	Arnaud Wisman
Date Deposited:	26 Feb 2016 13:48 UTC
Last Modified:	29 May 2019 17:02 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/54301 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)