Theories We Use

People recognize that death is unpredictable and inevitable, which conflicts with the drive for self-preservation. Therefore, people invest in cultural beliefs and worldviews to counter the fear that death is… Continue Reading Terror Management Theory

Social norms are informal and formal rules that govern how we act and what we see as normal and taboo. Examples in Western culture are saying “excuse me” if you… Continue Reading Social Norms

“Social identity theory maintains that all individuals are motivated to achieve and maintain a positive self-concept. A person’s self-concept derives from two principal sources: personal identity and social identity. Personal… Continue Reading Social Identity Theory

A theory that stable societies and social groups tend to organize hierarchically around status, power and economic opportunity, without any formalized acknowledgment. People in the higher level of the hierarchy… Continue Reading Social Dominance Theory

This theory explores how people are motivated to act and how to move others to act. People constantly seek new experiences and challenges to master. This theory describes intrinsic and… Continue Reading Self-Determination Theory

This theory explores how people adapt to situations and information that threaten their sense of self. If people focus on the values that are personally meaningful to them when faced… Continue Reading Self-Affirmation Theory

People predominantly assess risk intuitively, or by their feelings. In day-to-day life, most people judge the risk quickly and make decisions based on those immediate appraisals. We normally do not… Continue Reading Risk Perception

The way someone reacts when they feel that their personal choice is being taken away or that their choices have been limited. People are motivated to protect their freedom of… Continue Reading Reactance

This term refers to our perceived cognitive distance between ourselves and other instances (people, events, times).  When we perceive the psychological distance to be large, we focus on the big… Continue Reading Psychological Distance