Terror management theory

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/terror-management-theory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Terror Management Theory?Terror Management Theory says that people feel scared about dying, and that this fear helps explain why we create cultures, beliefs, and rules that make life feel meaningful and lasting.
2. Why do people think about death all the time?Because we know we will one day stop living, and that idea can be scary. To stay calm, we use ideas and stories that make us feel important and part of something bigger.

Mortality Salience: The state of being reminded of one's own death, which can activate defense mechanisms.
Cultural Worldview Defense: The tendency to protect and uphold one's own cultural beliefs when reminded of death.
Symbolic Immortality: Achieving a sense of lasting existence through identification with enduring cultural or social entities.