psyc 208 psychology of halloween - lecture 8 review

Halloween as a social ritual

Challenge to normal societal power structures, temporarily suspends power struggles; achieved through costumes, trick or treat, & candy

Terror management theory (TMT) explanation for Halloween

Halloween involves facing & embracing death & ghosts as meaningful to humans; celebration of imagination & willingness to suspend belief

Study on trick or treating behaviours of US children

Trick or treaters were more likely to steal candy when parents were not present

Explanation for trick or treaters stealing candy

People feel a sense of deindividuation when dressing up & participating in ritual; they act in ways they typically would not due to losing one's sense of personal identity

Carl Jung & the shadow archetype

The part of one's personality related to the darkness of the unconscious; Jung believes people should face the darkest aspects of themselves by making them conscious

Steven Cave & immortality stories

The same 4 stories are repeatedly told throughout history about death & immortality; stories present throughout religious beliefs, cultural views, mythology, & popular culture & media

Cave's 4 immortality stories

1. The elixir story

2. The resurrection story

3. Story of the soul

4. The legacy story

The elixir story

Imagery of a fountain of youth & theme of fighting death; manifests in the anti aging industry & attempts to live forever (e.g radical life extension)

The resurrection story

Prevalent in religion & popular stories; e.g Christianity, science fiction stories, & Frankenstein

Story of the soul

Ideas of the afterlife, a soul, or reincarnation; e.g religions that believe a soul can be extracted or carry on after death

The legacy story

Notion that humans have symbolic immortality or a lasting impact; e.g often in cultural beliefs or popular culture

Paradox of death fascination & death denying/defying culture

Humans are fascinated with death in popular media; despite it being avoided, stigmatized, & rare discussed in a death denying/defying culture

Reasons why some enjoy horror movies

- Personality; higher in traits of sensation seeking & openness to experience

- Lower empathy & emotional sensitivity; those HIGH in empathy may have greater difficulty watching horror movies

- Novelty of the content is stimulating

- Adrenaline rush; some enjoy the rush more than others

- Excitation transfer process; positive feelings of calmness that follow the fear response

- Disgust; some enjoy WATCHING gross content that triggers the disgust response

Physical effects of watching horror movies

- Burn more calories; due to heightened blood rate

- Increases circulation of white blood cells; helps fight disease & infections

Study on college students who watched Six Feet Under

- Slightly increased fear of death

- Decreased fear about what happens to the body after death

- Increased desire to avoid thoughts of death

- Decreased positive & neutral death acceptance

Role of meaningful movies in coping with death

Reminds viewers of life's meaning/a worldview; reminders viewers they are part of a culture

Terror management theory (TMT) explanation for why people enjoy meaningful movies

Meaningful movies buffer mortality salience; functions as a worldview or source of meaning

Study on the role of meaningful films in existential fear

Participants primed to think about their death preferred a movie ending where the character survived as opposed to dying

Relationship between viewing death on TV & the appeal of advertised products

Advertisements that depict death, viewers find the advertised products more appealing

Terror management theory (TMT) explanation for why advertisements that use death, have product that seem more appealing

According to terror management theory (TMT) the pursuit of wealth, consumerism, & culturally desired commodities; reinforce beliefs that protect people from existential anxieties, a way of investing in beliefs