A meta-analysis was conducted on empirical trials investigating the mortality salience (MS) hypothesis of terror management theory (TMT). TMT postulates that investment in cultural worldviews and self-esteem serves to buffer the potential for death anxiety; the MS hypothesis states that, as a consequence, accessibility of death-related thought (MS) should instigate increased worldview and self-esteem defense and striving. Overall, 164 articles with 277 experiments were included. MS yielded moderate effects (r =.35) on a range of worldview- and self-esteem-related dependent variables (DVs), with effects increased for experiments using (a) American participants,(b) college students,(c) a longer delay between MS and the DV,and (d) people-related attitudes as the DV. Gender and self-esteem may moderate MS effects differently than previously thought. Results are compared to other reviews and examined with regard to alternative explanations of TMT. Finally, suggestions for future research are offered.

Som om ikke det ikke var nok med et spesialnummer om religionsteorier, så er det nå også på vei en artikkel til Personality and Social Psychology Review som presenterer en meta-analyse av TMTs forskning de siste 20 årene, med særlig fokus på dødelighetspåminnelseseksperimentene (Mortality Salience): Two Decades of Terror Management Theory: A Meta-Analysis of Mortality Salience Research.

164 av TMTs empiriske studier med til sammen 277 eksperimenter er evaluert og analysert, og de kommer godt ut av det med r = .35, noe som er blant de øverste 25% for psykologi generelt, og øverste 20% for sosialpsykologi. Det ble plutselig mye lesning her…