Does a threat appeal moderate reckless driving? A terror management theory perspective.
A series of two studies examined the effects of threat appeals on reckless driving from a terror management theory perspective. In both studies, all the participants (N = 109) reported on the relevance of driving to their self-esteem, and, then, half of them were exposed to a road trauma film and the remaining to a neutral film. In Study 1, the dependent variable was the self-report of intentions to drive recklessly in hypothetical scenarios. In Study 2, the dependent variable was actual behavior (driving speed) in a driving simulator. Findings indicated that a road trauma film led to less reported intentions of reckless driving, but to higher driving speed than a neutral film. These effects were only found among participants who perceived driving as relevant to their self-esteem. The discussion emphasized the self-enhancing mechanisms proposed by the terror management theory.
Ben-Ari
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Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Florian
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Mikulincer
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D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009042:Motivation; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept