Terror Management Theory

Exactly why do humans experience fear? Moreover, why do people experience anxiety, a less concentrated form of fear in which it is not always obvious what it is a person is afraid of. Fully understanding the human condition requires a greater comprehension of the roots of anxiety. Anxiety is kept hidden from one’s awareness and is an inherent aspect of the human condition that plays an important role in everything one does.

Terror Management Theory attempts to explain that fear and anxiety are permanent attributes of the human condition. We are born with an evolved natural inclination to stay alive and fear generally drives this tendency. Throughout time, the human race has developed more sophisticated intellectual abilities that make possible the survival in a wider range of environments. However, these unique intellectual abilities also make us aware of the absolute certainty of death. Essentially, we are forced to realize that death can come unexpectedly and for any number of reasons.

Terror management theory suggests the unavoidable conflict between a core desire for life and an awareness of the inevitability of death creates the potential for terror. Human beings know exactly what they are afraid of and understand there is no escape from reality.

Cultural worldviews and self-esteem are two components developed to manage the terror caused by the “survival vs. awareness of death” conflict. Cultural worldviews provide order, meaning, and a comforting view of the world that helps us come to terms with the conception of death. Additionally, self-esteem allows us to view ourselves as important contributors to what our culture has defined as a meaningful life. The effectiveness of cultural worldviews and self-esteem depends heavily on support from others and also from those with differing beliefs.

Pyszczynski, Tom. What are we so afraid of? A terror management theory perspective on the politics of fear, Social Research 2004.