Terror management theory (TMT) is both an evolutionary and social psychology theory that was initially proposed by Sheldon Solomon, Tom Pyszczynski, and Jeff Greenberg. The TMT theory suggests that a fundamental psychological conflict usually occurs as a result of having a self-preservation instinct while at the same time realizing that, to some extent, death is unpredictable but will always remain inevitable. Such a conflict is responsible for producing terror, which is then managed through embracing symbolic systems or even cultural beliefs that act towards countering the biological reality with more lasting forms of value and meaning. The TMT can effectively be applied in different terror circumstances, such as how death from terror can result in fear to other people, as well as how it can influence human behaviour and thinking ( ). As a result, this can significantly help in explaining how death anxiety can drive people in adopting worldviews protecting their worthiness, sustainability, as well as self-esteem in addition to allowing them in believing that they play a significant role within a meaningful world.
The Orlando Nightclub Shooting Terror Attack
The TMT can be applied to the Orlando Nightclub shooting terror attack to help improve the understanding of the coping survivors and the recovery following the terror event. The incident of the Orlando Nightclub shooting involved an American-born man, by the name Omar Mateen, opened fire and gunned down 49 people in addition to wounding other 53 people. He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, which prompted him in conducting the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States as well as the worst terror attack of the country since the 9/11 incidence.
Applicability of the Terror Management Theory in the Orlando Shooting Terror Attack
The TMT can be applied to this shooting event by considering the cultural, social, intellectual, and cognitive conditions of the survivors as influence factors that might skew the death and survival perceptions. As a result, the survivors might change their perceptions of dying and once again have the hope of living. For instance, the survivor’s cultural condition is the most obvious example of a TMT that can be applied to the survivors of that horrible terror attack event. The cultural values that allay the anxiety of death can be used to make the survivors in believing in the afterlife ( ). As a result, they do not become so much worried or anxious of what would happen to those killed or those at critical conditions following the attack.
TMT can also be linked to the survivor’s cultural values, particularly those that are apparently not related to death, which can be applied to offer symbolic immortality to the survivors. For instance, values of posterity, human superiority over animals, national identity, and perspectives on sex are always linked to death concern by TMT. Therefore, such values can be applied for offering symbolic immortality to provide hopes to the survivors by either providing them with the sense that they are all part of something greater that will obviously outlive them, including lineage and species, or even by making their symbolic identity appear bigger or superior to the biological nature. Besides, since an individual’s cultural values are responsible for determining something meaningful, it is well the foundation of self-esteem. Therefore, TMT can be applied for describing self-esteem as being the subjective and personal measure of how well the survivors would be living up to their cultural values, irrespective of the trauma and flashbacks of that particular terror attack incident.
Additionally, the survivor’s cognitive and intellectual conditions may be negatively impacted to the extent that they no longer think or have a hope of living anymore after experiencing that horrible terror event. Socially, they might not feel the worthiness of associating with other people within the society as a result of being traumatized by the occurrences and flashbacks of that day. Therefore, TMT can be applied in this case to make or convince the survivors to adapt to the awareness of their mortality in certain ways. As a result, some of them would stop thinking about it at all, while others would consider devoting their energy to leave behind the legacy that would result in them being immortal. As a result, this can manifest within a sensitive desire of starting a family or even a stronger belief concerning the existence of the afterlife.
Why these Factors should be examined
There is a high need for examining all these factors as they have the potential of affecting the behavioural health outcomes of the survivors. For instance, it is imperative to examine culture as it plays a significant role to manage this terror in addition of acting as a tool to help the survivors cope with the existential concerns regarding life and death. Therefore, these factors should be examined by considering how they impact the behavioural health outcomes, by confirming whether or not they are capable of creating a sort of defence in which a sense of symbolic or literal immortality is promised, and by protecting the survivors from the created paralyzed terror by the perception of death. Furthermore, these factors should also be examined by looking on how they can influence fear of death, which may ultimately promote bias, global conflict, and even insecurity. However, TMT can be applied to make the survivors become aware that their individual actions are influenced by the fear of death. Therefore, TMT can significantly assist them in consciously choosing rather than taking positive steps to act with kindness and find meaning in their lives.
Appropriateness of TMT as Compared to other Theories
Using TMT to rationalize the thoughts and behaviours of survivors following terror events is more appropriate as compared to other theories, including the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct. The latter theory may make it difficult in predicting behaviour of the terror event survivors, particularly as a TMT functional needs since every culture is responsible for prescribing an intricate set of values that are often not consistent. Therefore, to better predict the behaviour of survivors, it is crucial to consider using the TMT over the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct since the former does not delineate in whatever circumstances that compete for the social norm for directing behaviour.
Furthermore, TMT is more appropriate as compared to the Focus Theory of Normative Conductive as TMT discusses how social norms, including standards and rules, are capable of constraining the social behaviour following any terror attack event. Additionally, TMT motivates individuals in living up to cultural prescriptions for behaviour since culture always offers conflicting descriptions for acceptable behaviour.