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Affect and Self-Regulation Under Mortality Salience

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Affect and Self-Regulation Under Mortality Salience Affect and Self-Regulation under Mortality Salience Doctoral Thesis Submitted to the University of Trier Department of Psychology by Christina Lüdecke Supervisors Prof. Dr. Nicola Baumann Department of Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Diagnostics Prof. Dr. Eva Walther Department of Social Psychology Contents I Contents Chapter 1 - An Introduction of Affective Reactions towards Death and Self- Regulation of Affective States .............................................................................. 1 1.1 Terror Management Theory ............................................................................................. 3 1.2 Terror in Terror Management Theory .............................................................................. 4 1.3 Individual Differences in Coping with Mortality Salience .............................................. 6 1.4 Affect-Regulation under Mortality Salience .................................................................... 8 1.5 Affect-Regulation within the Theory of Personality Systems Interaction ....................... 9 1.5.1 Self-Regulation versus Self-Control within the Theory of Personality Systems Interaction......................................................................................................................... 13 1.6 Overview over the Present Studies ................................................................................. 16 Chapter 2 - Experiencing Terror but not knowing it: Evidence for Implicit Negative Affect under Mortality Salience .......................................................... 17 2.1 Study 1 ............................................................................................................................ 21 2.1.1 Participants .............................................................................................................. 23 2.1.2 Materials .................................................................................................................. 23 2.1.2.1 Implicit and Explicit Mood .............................................................................. 23 2.1.2.2 Mortality Salience Induction ............................................................................ 24 2.1.3 Procedure ................................................................................................................. 25 2.1.4 Results ..................................................................................................................... 25 2.1.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 26 Contents II 2.2 Study 2 ............................................................................................................................ 27 2.2.1 Participants .............................................................................................................. 27 2.2.2 Materials .................................................................................................................. 28 2.2.2.1 Implicit Mood ................................................................................................... 28 2.2.2.2 Explicit Mood ................................................................................................... 28 2.2.2.3 Mortality Salience Induction ............................................................................ 29 2.2.3 Procedure ................................................................................................................. 29 2.2.4 Results ..................................................................................................................... 30 2.2.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 32 2.3 General Discussion ......................................................................................................... 32 2.4 Limitations and Future Perspectives .............................................................................. 34 2.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 3 - When Death is not a Problem: Regulating Implicit Affect under Mortality Salience ............................................................................................... 36 3.1 Terror Management and Affect ...................................................................................... 38 3.2 Affect-Regulation under Mortality Salience .................................................................. 39 3.3 Present Study .................................................................................................................. 41 3.3.1 Participants .............................................................................................................. 41 3.3.2 Materials .................................................................................................................. 41 3.3.2.1 Self-Esteem ...................................................................................................... 41 3.3.2.2 Action Orientation ............................................................................................ 42 3.3.2.3 Explicit Mood ................................................................................................... 42 3.3.2.4 Implicit Mood ................................................................................................... 42 3.3.3 Procedure ................................................................................................................. 43 Contents III 3.3.4 Results ..................................................................................................................... 44 3.3.4.1 Manipulation Check: Death-Thought Accessibility ......................................... 45 3.3.4.2 Implicit Affect .................................................................................................. 46 3.3.4.3 Explicit Affect .................................................................................................. 48 3.4 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 48 3.5 Limitations and Future Perspectives .............................................................................. 50 3.6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 4 - Being Oneself in the Face of Death: Self-Access under Mortality Salience................................................................................................................ 52 4.1 Self-Esteem and Self-Access ......................................................................................... 54 4.2 Action Orientation and Self-Access ............................................................................... 56 4.3 Action Orientation and Mortality Salience .................................................................... 58 4.4 Study 1 ............................................................................................................................ 59 4.4.1 Participants .............................................................................................................. 59 4.4.2 Materials .................................................................................................................. 59 4.4.2.1 Action Orientation ............................................................................................ 59 4.4.2.2 Self-Esteem ...................................................................................................... 60 4.4.2.3 Implicit Motives ............................................................................................... 60 4.4.2.4 Explicit motives ................................................................................................ 61 4.4.3 Procedure ................................................................................................................. 62 4.4.4 Results ..................................................................................................................... 62 4.4.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 66 Contents IV 4.5 Study 2 ............................................................................................................................ 67 4.5.1 Participants .............................................................................................................. 68 4.5.2 Materials .................................................................................................................. 68 4.5.2.1 Explicit Mood ................................................................................................... 68 4.5.2.2 Self-Infiltration ................................................................................................. 69 4.5.3 Procedure ................................................................................................................. 69 4.5.3.1 Attractiveness ................................................................................................... 69 4.5.3.2 Self-Selection ................................................................................................... 70 4.5.3.2 Expert Recommendations ...............................................................................
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