Death, love, and evolution: Conceptions of death beyond terror.
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| Title: | Death, love, and evolution: Conceptions of death beyond terror. |
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| Authors: | Zuccala, Matteo (AUTHOR), Abbott, Maree (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Death Studies. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 7, p1172-1182. 11p. |
| Subjects: | Death & psychology, Anxiety prevention, Mortality risk factors, Fear, Attitudes toward death, Attachment behavior, Culture, Sex distribution, Anxiety, Psychological adaptation, Social change, Behavior, Parenting, Psychology, Developmental psychobiology, Attitude (Psychology), Love, Theory, Concepts, Interpersonal relations, Social support, Risk perception, Sociodemographic factors, Psychological vulnerability, Thought & thinking, Suffering, Self-perception, Social classes |
| Abstract: | Recent years have seen an influx in interest on the role of death anxiety in human behavior. Terror Management Theory prevails as the leading theoretical and empirical paradigm utilized in the literature; however emerging research has revealed serious shortcomings with the paradigm. In this paper we examine the concept of death anxiety from a socio-evolutionary perspective. We outline how the attachment system evolved to prevent death during an extended period of juvenile vulnerability and is further co-opted into adulthood to maintain survival. Through a broader understanding of contemporary evolutionary thinking, including attachment theory, we propose that the hitherto inconsistent and amorphous definition of death anxiety be more usefully re-conceptualized as a fear of premature death. We explore how this re-conceptualization can be used to help explicate phenomena that existing paradigms have until now struggled to explain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Recent years have seen an influx in interest on the role of death anxiety in human behavior. Terror Management Theory prevails as the leading theoretical and empirical paradigm utilized in the literature; however emerging research has revealed serious shortcomings with the paradigm. In this paper we examine the concept of death anxiety from a socio-evolutionary perspective. We outline how the attachment system evolved to prevent death during an extended period of juvenile vulnerability and is further co-opted into adulthood to maintain survival. Through a broader understanding of contemporary evolutionary thinking, including attachment theory, we propose that the hitherto inconsistent and amorphous definition of death anxiety be more usefully re-conceptualized as a fear of premature death. We explore how this re-conceptualization can be used to help explicate phenomena that existing paradigms have until now struggled to explain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 07481187 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/07481187.2025.2487768 |
