Self-regulatory processes defend against the threat of death: Effects of self-control depletion and trait self-control on thoughts and fears of dying. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Nine studies (N = 979) demonstrated that managing the threat of death requires self-regulation. Both trait and state self-control ability moderated the degree to which people experienced death-related thought and anxiety. Participants high (vs. low) in self-control generated fewer death-related thoughts after being primed with death, reported less death anxiety, were less likely to perceive death-related themes in ambiguous scenes, and reacted with less worldview defense when mortality was made salient. Further, coping with thoughts of death led to self-regulatory fatigue. After writing about death versus a control topic, participants performed worse on several measures of self-regulation that were irrelevant to death. These results suggest that self-regulation is a key intrapsychic mechanism for alleviating troublesome thoughts and feelings about mortality.

published proceedings

  • J Pers Soc Psychol

altmetric score

  • 1.5

author list (cited authors)

  • Gailliot, M. T., Schmeichel, B. J., & Baumeister, R. F

citation count

  • 254

complete list of authors

  • Gailliot, Matthew T||Schmeichel, Brandon J||Baumeister, Roy F

publication date

  • July 2006