Humans are very likely the only life form on the planet that is aware of its own mortality. That knowledge may be one of the greatest gifts of human consciousness—and one of its greatest torments. Other animals recognize death in some form, but humans uniquely possess the explicit knowledge: “I myself will die someday.” In this regard, I think other animals have an easier time living their lives without the distraction of confronting their own inevitable deaths. They are, by all considerations, locked into living “for the moment.” Humans struggle with that concept, although 500 million Buddhists seem to be on the right track.
For the other 7.9 billion people on the planet, living in the present and accepting our mortality requires some sort of coping mechanism. That need has led to the social psychology concept known as Terror Management Theory (TMT). In a nutshell, the theory addresses how people cope, consciously or unconsciously, with their inevitable demise.
The basic mechanism proposed by TMT is simple:
- Humans become aware that death is inevitable.
- This awareness creates potential for overwhelming anxiety.
- Cultural worldviews and self-esteem buffer that anxiety.
- When mortality is made salient, people defend those buffers more strongly.
A key point of TMT is that people manage the anxiety produced by awareness of death by anchoring themselves to something that provides meaning, continuity, or symbolic permanence. For individuals who do not believe in a supreme deity or an afterlife, the psychological buffering mechanisms are typically secular forms of “symbolic immortality.”
Cultural worldviews function psychologically much like religious systems: they create a sense that one’s life fits into something larger and enduring. Examples include:
- Commitment to science, humanism, or rationalism
- Identification with political or moral ideals
- Strong adherence to national identity or civic values
Legacy and Contribution mean many people seek symbolic continuation through what they leave behind.
- Raising children
- Creating art, writing, or intellectual work
- Building institutions or businesses
- Advancing science or social progress
Identification with Long-Lived Systems is when people psychologically merge their identity with institutions that outlast them.
- Nation
- Profession
- University or academic discipline
- Historical movements
Self-Esteem is one of the strongest buffers against death anxiety.
- Self-esteem works because it signals that one is living up to the standards valued by one’s culture. Studies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology show that people with higher self-esteem exhibit reduced physiological and psychological distress when reminded of mortality.
Present-Focused Meaning reduces mortality anxiety by emphasizing the value of experience itself rather than permanence. The emphasis shifts from eternal continuation to the intrinsic value of being alive now. This works for the 500 million Buddhists!
- Existential philosophy
- Stoicism
- Mindfulness traditions
Scientific or Cosmological Perspective is the concept that some people take comfort in understanding humans as part of a larger natural process. This perspective provides a cosmic continuity rather than a personal afterlife. consciousness. That is the subject of another blog post.
- Humans are composed of elements forged in stars.
- Matter and energy persist even though individuals do not.
An important point about the Scientific or Cosmological Perspective, especially to me, is that this is where I landed after decades of pondering the issue of what’s after my death. I didn’t intend to reach this point, and I had no ideas of TMT until several months ago. However, the story for me is incomplete because of the pesky question of what happens to our consciousness after our physical body ceases to function. I’ll tackle that question in another blog post.
The Efficacy of different TMT categories
Let’s consider the relative efficacy of three prominent categories, religion, strict materialism, and cosmic continuity, and materialistic.
Religious belief systems often provide the strongest buffer against death anxiety, particularly when belief in an afterlife is firm.[i] However, among religious individuals, who doubt the religious doctrine have been shown to have higher levels of death anxiety.[ii] I find that statement intriguing.
From a death anxiety perspective, religion is a strong succor, but only if its doctrine is not questioned. It seems that would be an insurmountable challenge for a critical thinker of which I am one.
Strict Materialism encompasses People who hold a purely reductionist view—death as complete cessation with no broader meaning—often show higher levels of death anxiety. When you’re dead- that’s the end of the story. How lonely that must be.
The Cosmic or Systems Worldview occupies a middle position but can be quite effective, especially for individuals comfortable with scientific or ecological thinking.
Its buffering mechanisms include:
- identity with long-lived natural processes
- sense of participation in cosmic history- Carl Sagan’s “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
- recognition that matter and energy continue
- identification with evolutionary or ecological systems
Instead of personal immortality, the continuity lies in process and participation. Psychologists sometimes describe this as “self-transcendent identity.” The individual self is experienced as part of something larger – nature, the universe, or the flow of life.
Research on self-transcendence published in American Psychologist and related journals suggests that this orientation can reduce death anxiety because the boundary between self and world becomes less rigid.[iii]
What’s it all mean?
I don’t know because the answer will be different for different people. Afterall, humans are a highly complex, partially evolved species with unique self-perceptions and unique perceptions.
For me, the key meaning is recognizing that mortality reminders inducing fear and angst are common to all people affecting some more than others. The anxiety may be reduced or controlled by understanding the drivers of it as addressed by TMT. For me, my anxiety would only increase if felt compelled to invoke a religious doctrine that was dogmatic. I’m way too much of a skeptic for that to fly. At best it would be a Procrustean fit and we know how that worked out for travelers. I’ve recently arrived at finding comfort in the cosmic continuity of death. To me, its simple elegance of recycling matter at the cosmic level is comforting. It’s not for everyone, but it fits nicely with my interest in complex adaptive systems, chaos theory, and panarchy systems.
It’s interesting how somethings come full circle in life – if you live long enough. One of the authors I enjoyed reading many decades ago was by the Buddhist monk, Thích Nhất Hạnh. His book, “No Death, No Fear” aligns perfectly with the concept of cosmic continuity. Here are a few of his quotes:
“A cloud never dies. When a cloud is no longer a cloud, it becomes rain or snow or ice. The cloud continues.”
“When we understand that we are not a separate self but part of the whole cosmos, the fear of death disappears.”
“When you look deeply, you see that you have never been born and you will never die.”
“You cannot die. You can only transform.”
[i] Jonas E, Fischer P. Terror management and religion: evidence that intrinsic religiousness mitigates worldview defense following mortality salience. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2006 Sep;91(3):553-67. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.91.3.553. PMID: 16938037.
[ii] Altemeyer, B., & Hunsberger, B. (1992). Authoritarianism, Religious Fundamentalism, Quest, and Prejudice. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 2(2), 113–133. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr0202_5
[iii] Wong, P.T. (2013). Toward a Dual-Systems Model of What Makes Life Worth Living.
Confronting Mediocrity 