Friday, Sep 21, 2007
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
This talk will provide an overview of terror management theory and research. Briefly, the theory posits that the human cognitive ability to be aware of mortality, juxtaposed with biological proclivities to live, creates the potential for extreme anxiety. People manage this anxiety by attempting to live out their lives as significant beings in a symbolic seemingly eternal reality, rather than as transient animals fated only to death. This is accomplished by investing in a cultural system of beliefs that imbues existence with meaning, order, and permanence, and provides mechanisms by which people can feel enduringly significant. To date, over 300 empirical studies have supported predictions derived from the theory, offering implications for understanding diverse forms of social behavior. The present talk will focus on research exploring the types of stimuli and psychological threats that provoke thoughts of death and the implications this has for understanding reactions to others in our social world in such contexts as medical, health, and political decision scenarios. Discussion of how these ideas can inform and be informed by informatics research is encouraged. Biography Jamie Arndt is Associate Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology and the University of Arizona.
Location: PY 128
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment