COVID-19’s Effects on Mortality Salience, Death Anxiety, and Worldview Defense

<p>Since late-2019, the world has been trying to overcome an invisible killer: COVID-19. With near constant reminders of the virus the knowledge that a tiny viral particle has potential to harm or even kill has become overwhelming for many. Terror Management Theory (TMT) suggests that when individuals are reminded of their own death people take part in culturally appropriate activities and defend their own culture as ways to alleviate this increased death anxiety. The current study aims to identify whether 1) reminders of COVID-19 prime death thoughts, 2) reminders of COVID-19 increase death anxiety, and 3) increased death anxiety from COVID-19 reminders also increase worldview defense. The results have provided evidence that thinking about COVID-19 does not prime death anxiety reducing behaviors.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts - Psychology

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Shavers, Sahvannah K

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Lauren Brewer

• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Social Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/452

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1473