The Underlying Process of Prosocial Behavior Among Soldiers: A Terror Management Theory Perspective

Ido Heller,Samer Halabi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.770723

Abstract

The mortality salience (MS) hypothesis postulates that anxiety elicited by mortality awareness leads people to develop negative emotions toward those who hold values inconsistent with their worldview faith. We explored this hypothesis in a sample of 76 Israeli combat soldiers, who were asked to reflect on either their mortality or dental pain. Subsequently, participants reported their motivation to help a father in need who was either an Arab (outgroup) or a Jewish Israeli (ingroup), as well as their perceptions of threat by Arab Israelis. Regression analysis indicated that mortality reminders intensified soldiers’ perception of threat by the outgroup, leading to an increased desire to assist a Jewish-Israeli father, and a decreased motivation to help an Arab-Israeli one. The findings demonstrate the pronounced effects of MS on soldiers involved in frequent combat actions in terms of evoking negative emotions leading to reluctance to help unarmed civilian outgroup members. Recommendations for soldiers’ pre-deployment psychoeducation sessions are provided.

Highlights

Manifestations of human altruism and willingness to assist others are evident in most human societies
Based on terror management theory (TMT) (Greenberg et al, 1986; Solomon et al, 1991) and social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979), we tested the relationship between mortality salience (MS; i.e., increased awareness of one’s mortality) and prosocial behavior among Israeli soldiers serving in the West Bank, while considering the mediating role of perceived threat (Stephan and Stephan, 2000)
We examined the effects of the two experimental conditions, Mortality Salience (MS vs. control) and Ethnicity of the potential help recipient (Arab vs. Jewish) and their interaction with willingness to offer help and perceptions of threat

Summary

Introduction

Manifestations of human altruism and willingness to assist others are evident in most human societies. Extensive research on prosocial attitudes has shown that people’s motivation to assist others is broad and includes personality factors such as agreeableness and altruism (Graziano et al, 2007), and factors related to power disparities between benefactor and recipient and their groups’ social status (Dovidio et al, 2006; Nadler and Halabi, 2006). Based on terror management theory (TMT) (Greenberg et al, 1986; Solomon et al, 1991) and social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979), we tested the relationship between mortality salience (MS; i.e., increased awareness of one’s mortality) and prosocial behavior among Israeli soldiers serving in the West Bank, while considering the mediating role of perceived threat (Stephan and Stephan, 2000)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion