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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.

In this paper we demonstrate that societal psychology makes a unique contribution to the study of change through its focus on the 'contextual politics' of change, examining the different interests at stake within any social context. Societal psychology explores the contexts which promote or inhibit social and societal change and can be seen as a bridge between social and political psychology. It focuses on how the context shapes the ways in which societal change is understood, supported or resisted. To understand the intellectual rationale of societal psychology, and how it aims to foster societal change, we first consider the history of the discipline. Second, we consider what is meant by 'context', as understanding the environment of change is the hallmark of societal psychology. Third, we lay out three distinct features of a societal psychological approach to change: the politics of change; interventions and planned change; emergent change processes. Finally, the paper examines possible future developments of societal psychology and its role in understanding and creating societal change, alongside its place within the wider canon of social and political psychology. ; peerReviewed ; publishedVersion