Meaning, Mortality, and Choice

Phillip R. Shaver, PhD, a social and personality psychologist, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis. Before moving there, he served on the faculties of Columbia University, New York University, University of Denver, and State University of New York at Buffalo. He has coauthored and coedited numerous books and has published over 2 scholarly journal articles and book chapters.  Dr. Shaver's research focuses on attachment, human motivation and emotion, close relationships, personality development, and the effects of meditation on behavior and the brain. He is a member of the editorial boards of Attachment and Human Development, Personal Relationships, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Emotion, and he has served on grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.  Dr. Shaver received a Distinguished Career Award and a Mentoring Award from the International Association for Relationship Research and has served as president of that organization.  Mario Mikulincer, PhD, is professor of psychology and dean of the New School of Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. He has published five books and over 28 scholarly journal articles and book chapters.  Dr. Mikulincer's main research interests are attachment theory, terror management theory, personality processes in interpersonal relationships, coping with stress and trauma, grief-related processes, and prosocial motives and behavior.  He is a member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Inquiry, and Personality and Social Psychology Review, and he has served as associate editor of two journals, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personal Relationships. Recently, he was elected to serve as chief editor of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.  He received the EMET Prize in Social Science for his contributions to psychology and the Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement from the International Association for Relationship Research.

• ContributorsPrefaceIntroduction Phillip R. Shaver and Mario MikulincerI. The Problem of FinitudeTerror Management Theory: From Genesis to Revelations Jeff GreenbergHelplessness: A Hidden Liability Associated With Failed Defenses Against Awareness of Death Mario Mikulincer and Phillip R. ShaverA Significant Contributor to a Meaningful Cultural Drama: Terror Management Research on the Functions and Implications of Self-Esteem Jamie ArndtCulture, Ideology, Morality, and Religion: Death Changes Everything Tom Pyszczynski and Pelin KesebirA Body of Terror: Denial of Death and the Creaturely Body Jamie L. GoldenbergThe Impermanence of All Things: An Existentialist Stance on Personal and Social Change Gilad Hirschberger and Dan ShahamII. The Threat of MeaninglessnessMeaning: Ubiquitous and Effortless Laura A. KingReligion as a Source of Meaning Crystal L. Park and Donald EdmondsonBecoming and Developing: Personal Growth in the Wake of Parenthood and Grandparenthood Orit Taubman amp ndash Ben-AriDeriving Solace From a Nemesis: Having Scapegoats and Enemies Buffers the Threat of Meaninglessness Mark J. Landau, Daniel Sullivan, Zachary K. Rothschild, and Lucas A. KeeferTerrorism as Means to an End: How Political Violence Bestows Significance Arie W. Kruglanski, Michele Gelfand, and Rohan GunaratnaIII. The Challenge of FreedomBeyond Illusions and Defense: Exploring the Possibilities and Limits of Human Autonomy and Responsibility Through Self-Determination Theory Richard M. Ryan, Nicole Legate, Christopher P. Niemiec, and Edward L. DeciConditional Regard in Close Relationships Yaniv Kanat-Maymon, Guy Roth, Avi Assor, and Abira ReizerRemoving the Constraints on Our Choices: A Psychobiological Approach to the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Techniques Nava Levit Binnun, Rachel Kaplan Milgram, and Jacob RazChoice, Freedom, and Autonomy Barry SchwartzIV. Connection Versus Isolation and LonelinessAn Attachment Perspective on Coping With Existential Concerns Phillip R. Shaver and Mario MikulincerOstracism: The Impact of Being Rendered Meaningless Kipling D. WilliamsWhy People Die By Suicide: Further Development and Tests of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior Thomas E. Joiner Jr. and Caroline SilvaV. Overcoming Existential Threats and ChallengesThe Case of Allison: An Existential-Integrative Inquiry Into Death Anxiety, Groundlessness, and the Quest for Meaning and Awe Kirk J. SchneiderSeparation Theory and Voice Therapy Methodology Robert W. Firestone and Lisa FirestoneAcceptance and Commitment to Chosen Values in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Iftah Yovel and Noa BigmanVI. SynthesisThe Social Psychology of Meaning, Mortality, and Choice: An Integrative Perspective on Existential Concerns Sheldon SolomonIndexAbout the Editors