The book, The Worm at the Core by Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski explores what it means to live knowing that you will die. It's main argument is that, "Human activity is driven largely by unconscious efforts to deny and transcend death." I've been battling the question of why humans act the way they do, and this book is a perfect fit. Here's my spark notes version of the book, so I can always reflect on these ideas. Shout out to Bobby for telling me about it and allowing me to borrow it. <3
"We build character and culture in order to shield ourselves from the devastating awareness of our underlying helplessness and the terror of our inevitable death." - The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker
Humans have a desire to...
1/ Protect our self esteem
2/ Assert the superiority of our group over others
But why?
Terror Management Theory: "People strive for meaningful and significant lives largely to manage the fear of death."
"...we will do just about anything to stay alive. Yet we live with the knowledge that this desire will inevitably be thwarted."
Humans are uniquely able to think of themselves in terms of the past, present, and future. No other species is known to be able to do such a thing. This gives us a richness to our experience which allows us to make decisions not just due to an external stimulus, but based on our desires and circumstances.
"...only we humans, due to our enlarged and sophisticated neocortex, can experience terror in the absence of looming danger. ... This realization threatens to put us in a persistent state of existential fear."
How do we manage this terror?
1/ Shared Cultural Worldviews
- Literal Immortality: Religion encourages us to believe that our existence transcends mortal life.
- Symbolic Immortality: "Living on" through your work. The belief that we are part of something greater than ourselves and the desire to be part of groups which have meaning and will create impact. This is shown through works of art, science, structures/people named after you, possessions, memories.
2/ Self-Esteem
"Self esteem enables each of us to believe we are enduring, significant beings rather than material creatures destined to be obliterated."
Experimental Evidence
1/ Judges
Judges reminded of death before setting bail for a prostitute imposed a higher bail ($455 vs. $50). "The results shows that the judges who thought about their own mortality reacted by trying to do the right thing as prescribed by their culture."
2/ Students
Students read a pro-US and anti-US article. Higher percentage of students reminded of death liked the pro-US article than students not reminded of death.
"...reminders of other negative events (social rejection, failing an exam, intense pain, etc.) do not produce the same effects as being reminded of one's own mortality."
When Does Death Enter the Psychological Picture?
Babies only worry about eating and staying warm. How do we transform from crying, cooing neonates to adults with names and nationalities, seeking significance in our respective cultures?
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