Terror management and acculturation: Do thoughts of death affect the acculturation attitudes of receiving society members?

According to terror management theory, cognitive processes related to the awareness of one's own mortality can often exacerbate negative reactions to the presence, or to the mere existence, of individuals who hold divergent worldviews. The goal of this study was to explore whether symbolic terror management processes can have an effect on receiving society members’ acculturation attitudes toward distinct immigrant groups. In this study, following a manipulation of mortality salience (MS), a measure was taken of Anglo-Canadian receiving society members’ acculturation attitudes toward either culturally close (British) or culturally distant (Arab-Muslim) immigrants. The effects of MS on attitudes of Anglo-Canadians were measured using the Relative Acculturation Extended Model (RAEM). MS was hypothesized to lead to higher separation and lower assimilation toward British immigrants and higher assimilation and lower separation toward Arab-Muslim immigrants. The hypotheses were partially supported. MS led to a greater desire for separation and lesser desire for assimilation of British immigrants. MS led to a greater desire for assimilation of Arab-Muslim immigrants within the family relations domain of acculturation. The effects of terror management processes on acculturation attitudes are discussed primarily within the context of Canadian society, with implications for other societal settings.