TY - JOUR
T1 - A Terror Management Perspective on the Role of Death-Related Anxiety in Psychological Dysfunction
AU - Maxfield, Molly
AU - John, Samantha
AU - Pyszczynski, Tom
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/1
Y1 - 2014/1
N2 - Building on previous existential theorizing, terror management theory provides a unique approach to conceptualizing the development, maintenance, and impact of psychological disorders. The theory suggests that awareness of mortality creates the potential for anxiety, which is managed by an anxiety-buffering system consisting of one's cultural worldview, self-esteem, and interpersonal attachments. The pursuit of meaning, personal value, and interpersonal connections that motivates much human behavior is driven, in part, by the need to control this potential for death-related anxiety. This article provides an overview of terror management theory and a discussion of its implications for understanding clinical conditions, along with a review of research exploring the roles of death-related anxiety and the anxiety-buffering system in anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression.
AB - Building on previous existential theorizing, terror management theory provides a unique approach to conceptualizing the development, maintenance, and impact of psychological disorders. The theory suggests that awareness of mortality creates the potential for anxiety, which is managed by an anxiety-buffering system consisting of one's cultural worldview, self-esteem, and interpersonal attachments. The pursuit of meaning, personal value, and interpersonal connections that motivates much human behavior is driven, in part, by the need to control this potential for death-related anxiety. This article provides an overview of terror management theory and a discussion of its implications for understanding clinical conditions, along with a review of research exploring the roles of death-related anxiety and the anxiety-buffering system in anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression.
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U2 - 10.1080/08873267.2012.732155
DO - 10.1080/08873267.2012.732155
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84897864693
SN - 0887-3267
VL - 42
SP - 35
EP - 53
JO - Humanistic Psychologist
JF - Humanistic Psychologist
IS - 1
ER -