.svg)
Terror Management Theory states that humans uniquely have awareness that we will inevitably die while concurrently having the innate desire to survive; this internal struggle often creates an unconscious anxiety surrounding death which humans typically combat by investing in our culture, worldviews, and values. The current study examines the way individuals decide to manage their terror in relation to gender attitudes: By choosing to commit to their romantic relationships or by adhering to their worldview allegiance through their voting decision. Participants (N = 100) from diverse backgrounds, genders, and political leanings took an online survey including questions about likelihood to commit infidelity and voting decisions in a hypothetical election scenario. It was hypothesized that men would be more likely to vote male whereas women would have no significant difference in the gender they choose to vote for after a death reminder (termed mortality salience, MS). It was also hypothesized that men would be more likely to report cheating on their partners as a death-denying strategy whereas women would be less likely to report infidelity following death reminders. Results showed that under MS, men were less likely to report cheating on their partner whereas women were more likely to report cheating on their partners. Both genders were more likely to vote female when primed with death.
❐ PDFKeywords: terror management theory, mortality salience, gender attitudes, voting decisions, self-esteem, infidelity
Studies have been conducted on the therapeutic application of psychedelic substances during the late 1950’s the 1960’s and the early 1970’s. The application of these entheogens in a controlled clinical setting have been shown to have dramatic effect on individuals suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, and addiction. This study seeks to better understand the set
and setting of a psychedelic experience and how set and setting impacts the efficacy of treatment. This study also seeks to compile information on methodologies that could better produce positive results for treating stubborn mental health conditions through the manipulation of the clinical environment. Is there a way to effectively maximize the potential for therapeutic benefit while limiting the potential of a negative psychedelic experience? By comparing current research, subjective psychedelic experiences, and past clinical trial reports this study aims to produce a formula for appropriate application of entheogenic medicines.
Keywords: Psychedelic, Therapy, Therapeutic, Entheogens, Medicine
Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel White Noise highlights the impact of the dawning of the information age by exploring the ways heightened media consumption contributes to the fears and paranoia felt by the novel’s middle-class white family, the Gladneys. These internal conflicts prompt them to perpetually reinvent themselves in vain and often humorous attempts to defeat death in a world overrun by technology and (mis)information. In this paper, I utilize the work of American social psychologist James W. Pennebaker as a lens to evaluate how the incessant fear of death and ensuing mayhem developing in the minds and lives of the Gladneys correlates with their ages. Employing Pennebaker’s theories on age and mental development helps shed new light on many of the younger characters in the novel who are often overlooked in the scholarship, which tends to focus on Jack, whose fear of death propels the narrative to its near-murderous ending.
❐ PDFKeywords: White Noise, Don DeLillo, fear, media, consumerism
The globalization of Indian cinema more specifically, Hindi cinema – also known as Bollywood – has allowed viewers throughout the world to hear a different narrative than what is generally heard in the West. Much of this media content can be disseminated through technological advancements such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. By using these platforms, messages can be shared across borders and physical geographies in an unprecedented way. To further cater to and captivate the attention of a global audience, many of these narratives address global issues, placed in local settings, thereby bringing this discussion towards cosmopolitanism in Hindi cinema. The reach that is available through streaming services questions whether the ideology of cultural hegemony is being pushed in certain geographical areas. This study seeks to explore and understand how Bollywood has used certain narratives and new technologies to reach its global audiences of diasporic Indians and global non-Indians.
❐ PDFKeywords: Bollywood, globalization, cosmopolitanism, patriarchy, violence
Terror Management Theory (TMT) proposes that humans seek preservation because we are aware of our vulnerabilities associated with death, creating an immense amount of fear and anxiety. As a result, humans invest in both symbolic and literal immortality—via activities that provide us with a sense of safety and reassurance to counter our inevitable demise. However, there has been little research on TMT in the realm of criminal justice. More specifically, TMT continues to be an unpracticed idea when examining the origins of an offender’s criminogenic thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, this project conceptualizes the effects of mortality salience (death reminders) on a person’s willingness to allow more criminogenic thought patterns. These cognitive contemplations were assessed by using a modified version of the Measure of Criminogenic Thinking Styles (MOCTS), originally a 70-item self-report measure created to calculate someone’s thinking that could perpetuate criminal behavior.
❐ PDFKeywords: Terror Management Theory, criminogenic thinking, mortality salience
The foundation of framing theory is to illustrate what kind of messages the public receives in mass communications such as news consumption or scrolling social media. Based on framing theory and its connections to media literacy and media ecology, my research compiles interpretations of various media organizations pertaining to policies vouched by incumbent President Donald J. Trump and Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden. This paper will educate the public about the extent to which framing theory gravitates and functions in the relationship between what is portrayed in the press and what information the audiences take away from those portrayals. An example of this is Fox News publishing an article with the headline “When will the U.S. recession end? Most economists say late 2020 or early 2021” and an individual reader 1 focusing on the article’s first three paragraphs rather than the entire context serving as the center of the piece.
❐ PDFKeywords: framing, news, Biden, Trump, Media Literacy