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      Death and Science: The Existential Underpinnings of Belief in Intelligent Design and Discomfort with Evolution

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          Abstract

          The present research examined the psychological motives underlying widespread support for intelligent design theory (IDT), a purportedly scientific theory that lacks any scientific evidence; and antagonism toward evolutionary theory (ET), a theory supported by a large body of scientific evidence. We tested whether these attitudes are influenced by IDT's provision of an explanation of life's origins that better addresses existential concerns than ET. In four studies, existential threat (induced via reminders of participants' own mortality) increased acceptance of IDT and/or rejection of ET, regardless of participants' religion, religiosity, educational background, or preexisting attitude toward evolution. Effects were reversed by teaching participants that naturalism can be a source of existential meaning (Study 4), and among natural-science students for whom ET may already provide existential meaning (Study 5). These reversals suggest that the effect of heightened mortality awareness on attitudes toward ET and IDT is due to a desire to find greater meaning and purpose in science when existential threats are activated.

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          The meaning maintenance model: on the coherence of social motivations.

          The meaning maintenance model (MMM) proposes that people have a need for meaning; that is, a need to perceive events through a prism of mental representations of expected relations that organizes their perceptions of the world. When people's sense of meaning is threatened, they reaffirm alternative representations as a way to regain meaning-a process termed fluid compensation. According to the model, people can reaffirm meaning in domains that are different from the domain in which the threat occurred. Evidence for fluid compensation can be observed following a variety of psychological threats, including most especially threats to the self, such as self-esteem threats, feelings of uncertainty, interpersonal rejection, and mortality salience. People respond to these diverse threats in highly similar ways, which suggests that a range of psychological motivations are expressions of a singular impulse to generate and maintain a sense of meaning.
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            Evidence for terror management theory: I. The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who violate or uphold cultural values.

            On the basis of terror management theory, it was hypothesized that when mortality is made salient, Ss would respond especially positively toward those who uphold cultural values and especially negatively toward those who violate cultural values. In Experiment 1, judges recommended especially harsh bonds for a prostitute when mortality was made salient. Experiment 2 replicated this finding with student Ss and demonstrated that it occurs only among Ss with relatively negative attitudes toward prostitution. Experiment 3 demonstrated that mortality salience also leads to larger reward recommendations for a hero who upheld cultural values. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that the mortality salience effect does not result from heightened self-awareness or physiological arousal. Experiment 6 replicated the punishment effect with a different mortality salience manipulation. Implications for the role of fear of death in social behavior are discussed.
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              Deliver us from evil: the effects of mortality salience and reminders of 9/11 on support for President George W. Bush.

              According to terror management theory, heightened concerns about mortality should intensify the appeal of charismatic leaders. To assess this idea, we investigated how thoughts about death and the 9/11 terrorist attacks influence Americans' attitudes toward current U.S. President George W. Bush. Study 1 found that reminding people of their own mortality (mortality salience) increased support for Bush and his counterterrorism policies. Study 2 demonstrated that subliminal exposure to 9/11-related stimuli brought death-related thoughts closer to consciousness. Study 3 showed that reminders of both mortality and 9/11 increased support for Bush. In Study 4, mortality salience led participants to become more favorable toward Bush and voting for him in the upcoming election but less favorable toward Presidential candidate John Kerry and voting for him. Discussion focused on the role of terror management processes in allegiance to charismatic leaders and political decision making.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Editor
                Journal
                PLoS One
                plos
                plosone
                PLoS ONE
                Public Library of Science (San Francisco, USA )
                1932-6203
                2011
                30 March 2011
                : 6
                : 3
                : e17349
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
                [2 ]Department of Psychology, Union College, Schenectady, New York, United States of America
                The Centre for Research and Technology, Hellas, Greece
                Author notes

                Conceived and designed the experiments: JLT JH JPM. Performed the experiments: JLT JH JPM. Analyzed the data: JLT JH JPM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JLT JH JPM. Wrote the paper: JLT JH JPM.

                Article
                PONE-D-10-03303
                10.1371/journal.pone.0017349
                3068159
                21479169
                dba63cb9-0027-434a-b35a-8be810429b8c
                Tracy et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
                History
                : 7 October 2010
                : 31 January 2011
                Page count
                Pages: 13
                Categories
                Research Article
                Science Policy
                Science Education
                Social and Behavioral Sciences
                Psychology
                Behavior
                Adjustment (Psychology)
                Emotions
                Cognitive Psychology
                Motivation
                Experimental Psychology
                Personality
                Psychological Defense Mechanisms
                Psychological Stress
                Social Psychology
                Sociology
                Religion

                Uncategorized
                Uncategorized

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