Go with the flow against uncertainty about self under existential threat

Abstract

ABSTRACT Several studies presented in this paper explored the motivational process driving mortality silence (MS) effect on conformity. Study 1 demonstrated that people are more likely to conform with other’s opinions when self-uncertainty rather than certainty is activated. Study 2 revealed that self-uncertainty mediates the effect of MS on conformity: people become uncertain of themselves and more likely to conform to other’s opinions when they think about death. Study 3 investigated the mediation effect from the perspective of relatively stable traits, revealing that dispositional death anxiety positively predicted trait conformity and that increased trait self-uncertainty accounted for this relationship (full mediation). In summary, substantial and robust evidence indicated that self-uncertainty plays a critical role in MS effect on conformity.