恐惧管理理论的争议及其对死亡心理研究的启示

死亡心理是人类面临死亡及相关事件时所产生的认知、情感和行为意向的复杂心理状态。目前, 研究死亡心理较为全面和科学的理论是恐惧管理理论(Terror Management Theory, 简称TMT)。但该理论存在以下争议: (1)在死亡的基本认知方面, 恐惧管理理论呈现出不一致的研究结果, 如死亡是否与不确定性无关, 死亡是否导致恐惧情绪, 寻求个体生存是否为人类的核心议题; (2)在社会文化层面, 恐惧管理理论提出者的文化背景对待死亡的普遍态度是呈否认的, 但是跨文化的研究显示其他文化背景对待死亡的态度却呈现出接纳或蔑视; (3)在恐惧管理理论的研究结果方面, 呈现出较多的矛盾性, 表明研究中有重要的调节因子未被涉及。基于此, 死亡心理可能的研究方向拟从认知、行为和社会三个层面进行梳理。未来死亡心理研究需秉承科学与文化并重的原则, 并结合死亡心理的内容与过程, 关注群体面对死亡时的心理规律, 开展死亡心理影响下的身心健康干预研究。

Controversies in terror management theory research and its implications for research on the psychology of death

Psychology of death remains a complex psychological state of cognition,emotion and behavioral intention in the face of death and death-related events.Currently,the most comprehensive and scientific death psychology research is the Terror Management Theory(TMT).However,TMT has the following controversies:(1)In terms of three basic cognitive aspects of death,the theory presents inconsistent research results on whether death is independent of uncertainty,whether death causes fear,and whether individual survival is a central issue for human beings;(2)On the socio-cultural level,the cultural background of the Terror Management Theory was that there was a general denial of death.However,cross-cultural studies demonstrate that other cultures treat death with attitudes such as acceptance and contempt;(3)Finally,there exist a lot of contradictions in the research results of fear management theory.This indicates that there are important regulatory factors which are not involved in the present study.On this basis,the possible research directions of death psychology can be summarized from the aspects of cognition,behavior,and society.In the future,the death psychology can consider the research attitude that attaches equal importance to science and culture,combine the content and process of death psychology,pay attention to the psychological laws of the group in the face of death as well as carry out the intervention research of physical and mental health under the influence of death psychology.