Abstract
Zusammenfassung: Die Forschung zur Terror Management Theorie hat gezeigt, dass die experimentelle Induktion der kognitiven Verfügbarkeit eigener Sterblichkeit (“Mortalitätssalienz”) bei Menschen das Bestreben erhöht, das eigene kulturelle Weltbild zu verteidigen. Vor allem in US-amerikanischen Studien hat sich dies in einer erhöhten Verteidigung nationaler Symbole niedergeschlagen. Wir berichten über eine Studie, in der wir den Einfluss von Mortalitätssalienz auf Reaktionen auf die Verteidigung der Geschehnisse um die deutsche Wiedervereinigung und die Einstellung zur DM in Ost- und Westdeutschland untersucht haben. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Personen aus Ostdeutschland nach Mortalitätssalienz verglichen mit einer Kontrollbedingung eine verstärkte Tendenz aufwiesen, die deutsche Einheit gegenüber Kritik zu verteidigen. Für Personen aus Westdeutschland war diese Reaktion nicht zu beobachten. Weiterhin zeigte sich, dass jüngere Personen aus Ostdeutschland die DM nach Mortalitätssalienz abwerteten, während bei älteren Personen eine tendenzielle Aufwertung zu beobachten war. Diese Befunde verdeutlichen, dass Reaktionen auf nationale Ereignisse und Symbole unter Mortalitätssalienz in Abhängigkeit unterschiedlicher Bevölkerungs- und Altersgruppen differenziert betrachtet werden müssen.
Abstract: Research on terror management theory suggests that mortality salience intensifies the desire to defend one's own cultural worldview against threats. In US-American studies in particular this has been reflected in increased defense of national symbols. We report a study that investigated the influence of mortality salience on reactions of people in East and West Germany toward defense of the German reunification and attitudes towards the German Mark (DM). Our results show that following mortality salience participants from East Germany exhibited an increased tendency to defend the German reunification against threat compared to a control condition. West-German participants did not show this reaction. In addition, the results show that following mortality salience younger East-German participants devalued the DM, whereas older participants tended to report increased liking of the DM. The current findings suggest that different sections of a population and different age groups have to be taken into account when analyzing reactions to national events and symbols following mortality salience.
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