Event Title
Mortality Salience, Extrinsic Contingency Focus and the Desire for Social Connectivity
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Psychology
Mentor Information
Todd Williams, willitod@gvsu.edu
Department
Psychology
Location
Kirkhof Center KC64
Start Date
13-4-2011 4:00 PM
End Date
13-4-2011 5:00 PM
Keywords
Death and Dying, Social Science
Abstract
Terror Management Theory states that humans are plagued with anxiety surrounding the inevitability of their own death and have developed self-esteem to allay this anxiety. The Extrinsic Contingency Focus Scale (ECFS) was developed to measure how much one's self esteem is dependent on social sources. The present study sought to analyze the relationship between Extrinsic Contingency Focus (ECF), awareness of one's own death, and social connectivity. Given that those high in ECF derive self-esteem from meeting social standards, we hypothesized that their desire for social connectivity would increase during mortality salience. Study 1 shows that when mortality is salient, high ECF individuals choose to allocate more resources to social activities. Study 2 shows that high ECF individuals choose to sit closer to a potential conversation partner when mortality is salient. Furthermore both studies show that those lower in ECF seek less social affiliation when mortality is salient.
Mortality Salience, Extrinsic Contingency Focus and the Desire for Social Connectivity
Kirkhof Center KC64
Terror Management Theory states that humans are plagued with anxiety surrounding the inevitability of their own death and have developed self-esteem to allay this anxiety. The Extrinsic Contingency Focus Scale (ECFS) was developed to measure how much one's self esteem is dependent on social sources. The present study sought to analyze the relationship between Extrinsic Contingency Focus (ECF), awareness of one's own death, and social connectivity. Given that those high in ECF derive self-esteem from meeting social standards, we hypothesized that their desire for social connectivity would increase during mortality salience. Study 1 shows that when mortality is salient, high ECF individuals choose to allocate more resources to social activities. Study 2 shows that high ECF individuals choose to sit closer to a potential conversation partner when mortality is salient. Furthermore both studies show that those lower in ECF seek less social affiliation when mortality is salient.