The Effects of Mortality Salience on Self-Serving Attributions-Evidence for the Function of Self-Esteem as a Terror Management Mechanism

Abstract

Three studies examined the effects of mortality salience on self-serving attributions. In Study 1 (N = 60), participants were exposed to mortality salience or control conditions and rated attributions and emotional reactions to hypothetical events. In Study 2 (N = 72), participants were divided into mortality salience and control conditions and exposed to success or failure in a cognitive task. Then, their attributions for the obtained outcome and task performance were assessed. In Study 3 (N = 100), participants were exposed to mortality salience or control conditions, they were given or not given the opportunity to report attributions, and death-thought accessibility was assessed. Mortality salience led to more self-serving attributions than a control condition and these attributions were related to better emotional state and task performance. In addition, the opportunity to report causal attributions reduced death-thought accessibility following mortality salience. The discussion emphasizes the terror management function of self-serving attributions.