Death Awareness an Awakening Experience: Two Studies on Death Anxiety and Valuation of Extrinsic Aspirations

This research examine the relationship between death anxiety with extrinsic aspirations in two studies. First study is descriptive and correlational. 457 students were selected by convenience sampling method and completed the death anxiety scale and aspiration index. Second study conducted in an experimental method with 2 Group, Post-test Comparison. Participants were 104 students selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups and with using the task of called death thoughts and the aspiration index tested the effect of mortality salience on extrinsic aspirations among them. In the first study with using the Pearson correlation coefficient a significant positive association were observed between attractiveness with death anxiety and its subscales. The results of MANOVA in the second study showed that mortality salience decreased importance of extrinsic aspirations in the experimental group in comparison with the control group. Also, the effectiveness of mortality salience on attractiveness was significant. The results in accordance with the principles of humanist and existential views and Self-Determination Theory and Terror Management Theory emphasize to awakening role of death awareness on the avoiding of pursuit of non-authentic life style (pursuit of unhealthy aspirations).