Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
893003 Personality and Individual Differences 2007 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

Several studies suggest that mortality salience (MS) can increase prosocial behavior (i.e. Scrooge effect, [Jonas, E., Schimel, J., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. (2002). The scrooge effect: evidence that mortality salience increases prosocial attitudes and behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1342–1353]). This study examined whether self-transcendent values would moderate the Scrooge effect. Participants completed the Schwartz [Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1–65] value scale, wrote about death or dental pain, and evaluated a set of four charities. In Set 1 (AIDS Research Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, World Wildlife Fund, National Arbor Day Foundation), MS increased evaluations of charities, but only among participants scoring low in self-transcendent values, in line with the recently proposed Ebenezer shift hypothesis ([Joireman, J. & Duell, B. (2005). Mother Teresa versus Ebenezer Scrooge: mortality salience leads proselfs to endorse self-transcendent values (unless proselfs are reassured). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 307–320]). In Set 2 (American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society, National Park Foundation), results revealed only a main effect of self-transcendent values, suggesting that the Ebenezer shift is limited by certain boundary conditions.

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