Windows into nothingness: terror management, meaninglessness, and negative reactions to modern art.
Why do people dislike art that they find meaningless? According to terror management theory, maintaining a basic meaningful view of reality is a key prerequisite for managing concerns about mortality. Therefore, mortality salience should decrease liking for apparently meaningless art, particularly among those predisposed to unambiguous knowledge. Accordingly, mortality salience diminished affection for modern art in Study 1, and this effect was shown in Study 2 to be specific to individuals with a high personal need for structure (PNS). In Studies 3 and 4, mortality salient high-PNS participants disliked modern art unless it was imbued with meaning, either by means of a title or a personal frame of reference induction. Discussion focused on the roles of meaninglessness, PNS, and art in terror management.
Landau
Mark J
MJ
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85721, USA. mjlandau@email.arizona.edu
Greenberg
Jeff
J
Solomon
Sheldon
S
Pyszczynski
Tom
T
Martens
Andy
A
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001154:Art; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D011582:Psychological Theory