Terror Management Theory and Identity: The Effect of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on Anxiety and Identity Change

Baumeister and Muraven (1996) reasoned that those who have a well-formed identity should express a greater amount of fear when faced with the prospect of their own death. In Study 1, terror management theory methodology was applied to test this hypothesis. The results show that individuals who were exploring their identity had greater identity exploration scores when reminded of their death in comparison to those who were not given such a reminder. In Study 2, the effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on identity and anxiety were examined using a terrorism salience approach. The results show that reminders of the terrorist attacks produced greater anxiety in those who were exploring their identity and less anxiety in those who were not exploring. Terrorism salience also produced greater identity commitment, especially in those who were exploring their identity.