ABSTRACT
Terror management theory (TMT) posits that human awareness of the inevitability of death gives rise to the potential for existential terror, which is managed by an anxiety-buffering system consisting of cultural worldviews, self-esteem, and close relationships. This chapter uses TMT as a point of departure for an analysis of the vicious cycle of psychological distress and maladaptive responses set in motion by turbulent world events. While many turbulent world events involve direct threats to continued existence (wars, terrorism, and pandemics), others undermine the psychological structures that provide protection from death anxiety (radicalization, extremism, and political divisiveness). People typically attempt to manage the anxiety instigated by troublesome world events by clinging to their cultural worldviews, which leads to suboptimal problem-solving and derogation of or fighting against those with different worldviews. These tendencies often increase existential distress and exacerbate the problems that set the cycle in motion in the first place. The possibility of more constructive responses to these threats is discussed.
