Terror Management and Biculturalism: When the Salience of Cultural Duality Affects Worldview Defense in the Face of Death

In: European psychologist, Volume 17, Issue 3, p. 237-245

Abstract

Terror management theory posits that cultural worldviews provide protection against death-related anxiety. To the extent that worldviews often encompass competing beliefs, the present research investigated the effect of the salience of an incompatibility between worldview elements. French nationals of second- or third-immigrant generation (N = 193) were exposed to compatible or incompatible aspects of their cultural identities and then induced to contemplate their own death or a neutral topic. Participants reminded of their mortality renounced their ethnic identity more in the cultural incompatibility condition, and this effect was confined to those who initially presented an integrated (or bicultural) identity. Mortality salience led to monoculturalism striving when bicultural participants considered incompatible aspects of both their cultures, hence verifying the importance of upholding a strong and unwavering cultural worldview to cope with death awareness. The role of death-thoughts accessibility and religious attitudes following participants' efforts to shore up their cultural worldview is discussed.