Intimacy and risky sexual behavior--what does it have to do with death?
The current series of studies was conducted to explore the interplay between death awareness, fear of intimacy, and unsafe sex. In Study 1 (n = 73), making mortality salient led to higher willingness to engage in risky sexual behaviors, in comparison to a control condition. In addition, only in the mortality salience condition, lower fear of intimacy was associated with higher sexual risk taking. Moreover, higher accessibility of death-related thoughts was found either following induction of thoughts about risky sex in Study 2 (n = 68), or upon the induction of thoughts about fear of intimacy in Study 3 (n = 74), in comparison to the induction of thoughts about a neutral theme. The findings extended Terror Management Theory to the realm of risky sexual behavior and are discussed in view of the terror management function of close relationships.
Taubman--Ben-Ari
Orit
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School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900 Isreal. taubman@mail.biu.ac.il
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003643:Death; D005086:Existentialism / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*