TY - JOUR
T1 - When thinking of my death leads to thinking of others’ deaths
T2 - the effect of collectivism, psychological closeness, and mortality salience on prosocial behavioral intentions in the Sewol ferry disaster
AU - Lee, Jiyoung
AU - Kim, Yungwook
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Many South Koreans were traumatized by the 2014 Sewol ferry incident. Focusing on the Sewol ferry incident, this study examined the relationship between collectivism, psychological closeness, and prosocial behavior intentions and further investigated how thoughts about one’s own death moderated this association. Using a sample of South Korean adults (N = 310), we conducted an online experiment and generated several important findings: (a) collectivism increased psychological closeness; (b) psychological closeness increased prosocial behavior intentions; (c) collectivism increased prosocial behavior intentions; (d) psychological closeness mediated the relationship between collectivism and prosocial behavior intentions; and (e) the mediation effect of psychological closeness on the relationship between collectivism and prosocial behavior intentions was strong for people who thought about their own deaths. Our research complements the terror management theory (TMT) by suggesting that thinking about one’s own death can have a beneficial role in eliciting a prosocial behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. This study contributes to building a disaster-related policy and resilient infrastructure in that it helps understanding how collectivistic orientations and psychological closeness toward disasters play roles in disaster preparedness and management.
AB - Many South Koreans were traumatized by the 2014 Sewol ferry incident. Focusing on the Sewol ferry incident, this study examined the relationship between collectivism, psychological closeness, and prosocial behavior intentions and further investigated how thoughts about one’s own death moderated this association. Using a sample of South Korean adults (N = 310), we conducted an online experiment and generated several important findings: (a) collectivism increased psychological closeness; (b) psychological closeness increased prosocial behavior intentions; (c) collectivism increased prosocial behavior intentions; (d) psychological closeness mediated the relationship between collectivism and prosocial behavior intentions; and (e) the mediation effect of psychological closeness on the relationship between collectivism and prosocial behavior intentions was strong for people who thought about their own deaths. Our research complements the terror management theory (TMT) by suggesting that thinking about one’s own death can have a beneficial role in eliciting a prosocial behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. This study contributes to building a disaster-related policy and resilient infrastructure in that it helps understanding how collectivistic orientations and psychological closeness toward disasters play roles in disaster preparedness and management.
KW - Disaster management
KW - Sewol ferry incident
KW - collectivism
KW - prosocial behavior intention
KW - psychological closeness
KW - terror management theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85081714102&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13669877.2020.1738530
DO - 10.1080/13669877.2020.1738530
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85081714102
SN - 1366-9877
VL - 24
SP - 756
EP - 770
JO - Journal of Risk Research
JF - Journal of Risk Research
IS - 6
ER -