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Investigating the Role of Normative Support in Atheists' Perceptions of Meaning Following Reminders of Death
[journal article]
Abstract According to terror management theory, humans rely on meaningful and permanence-promising cultural worldviews, like religion, to manage mortality concerns. Prior research indicates that, compared to religious individuals, atheists experience lower levels of meaning in life following reminders of dea... view more
According to terror management theory, humans rely on meaningful and permanence-promising cultural worldviews, like religion, to manage mortality concerns. Prior research indicates that, compared to religious individuals, atheists experience lower levels of meaning in life following reminders of death. The present study investigated whether reminders of death would change atheists' meaning in life after exposure to normative support for atheism. Atheists (N = 222) were either reminded of death or a control topic (dental pain) and exposed to information portraying atheism as either common or rare, and then asked to rate their perceived meaning in life. Results showed that reminders of death reduced meaning in life among atheists who were told that atheism is common. Results were consistent with the view that atheism reflects the rejection of religious faith rather than a meaningful secular terror managing worldview. Discussion considers implications for maintaining healthy existential wellbeing, identifies limitations, and highlights future research directions.... view less
Keywords
EVS; atheism; death; normativity; social support; meaning of life; mortality; religiousness; well-being
Classification
Social Psychology
Philosophy, Ethics, Religion
Free Keywords
terror management theory; mortality salience; normative support; EVS 2017
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 1-10
Journal
Frontiers in Psychology, 13 (2022)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913508
ISSN
1664-1078
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed