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Terror Management Theory and the Theory of Shattered Assumptions in the Context of Trauma

Chipman, Katie Jane
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1308328435

Abstract Details

2011, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences.
The present study investigated of the role of trauma characteristics in Terror Management Theory (TMT) in a sample of 257 undergraduate students. Specifically, I aimed to investigate whether traumatic writing in individuals who had experienced a trauma would induce worldview defense similarly to a traditional Mortality Salience (MS) design in both traumatized and non-traumatized individuals. Further, research has suggested that worldview defense may be mitigated by secure attachment. Thus, as a secondary analysis, I investigated whether or not attachment-related avoidance and anxiety dimensions moderated worldview defense for both traumatized and non-traumatized individuals. Results indicated that rates of defense were low overall, yet unique trauma characteristics and symptoms were predictive of defense of benevolence and meaningfulness. Analyses investigating the moderating role of attachment demonstrated that for those who had experienced trauma, after controlling for time 1 scores, higher levels of attachment related avoidance predicted lower post-induction self-worth. Higher levels of attachment related anxiety were associated overall with decreased time 2 levels of benevolence and self-worth. Results taken together suggest that trauma and specific characteristics of trauma may be more important than type of induction in predicting differences in worldview and worldview defense. The connection between trauma, TMT, and worldview is complex, and is an important area of future research.
Jeffrey Ciesla, PhD (Committee Chair)
Douglas Delahanty, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
John Updegraff, PhD (Committee Member)
Gregory Smith, PhD (Committee Member)
Richard Adams, PhD (Committee Member)
76 p.
Psychology
Terror Management Theory; Shattered Assumptions; Attachment; Trauma

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Chipman, K. J. (2011). Terror Management Theory and the Theory of Shattered Assumptions in the Context of Trauma [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1308328435

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Chipman, Katie. Terror Management Theory and the Theory of Shattered Assumptions in the Context of Trauma. 2011. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1308328435.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Chipman, Katie. "Terror Management Theory and the Theory of Shattered Assumptions in the Context of Trauma." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1308328435

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1308328435
651
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.