isa professor and social psychology programme director at the University of Arizona. His books include The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Life in Death (2015), co-authored with Sheldon Solomon and Tom Pyszczynski.
The problem is that we are not logical beings. We are animals. And, like other animal species, we are biologically predisposed in many ways to continue living. If someone tries to suffocate you with a pillow, you struggle to breathe. If a car comes toward you, you dive out of the way. Becker used the example of people on a commercial airliner. If there is a sudden loud noise or the plane begins a sudden descent, everyone onboard feels terror and panic. So we have in our limbic system a fear of death and desire to avert it at all costs. As do, probably, many species of animals.
Literal and symbolic immortality are fundamental bases of our psychological security, but they depend on two things. First, we must maintain faith in a culturally based view of the world that provides a basis for believing in the possibilities of literal and/or symbolic immortality. Second, we must believe that we are valued contributors to this world so that we qualify for these forms of transcending our physical deaths. I call these two components of effective terror management. People live out their lives largely imbedded in a symbolic world of meaning and value in which they can believe they are of enduring significance and, as long as they maintain belief in that world and their significance, they can function with psychological equanimity. However, if either of these beliefs is threatened, defences must be marshalled or death anxiety will percolate to the surface.
Being good is based on what is learned from the parents, which reflects the cultural worldview the parents themselves were taught. And so we strive for self-esteem because it tells us that we are good worthy people and therefore loved and protected. Of course, as we develop cognitively, we learn that there are threats too big for our parents, and that they are not omnipotent. But they have taught us bigger things in which we can believe, and therefore we shift our primary bases of security to our god, our nation, our family line, science, humanity. As adults, we still need that self-esteem, that sense of significance, to feel secure, but we get it by feeling like worthy contributors to those larger entities we have learned to believe in. Doing so allows us to feel that we will continue on, as valued Christians, artists, scientists, Australians, and so forth.
Studies have also shown that mortality salience increases striving for self-worth. As examples, people reminded of their death who base some of their self-worth on, say, driving skill drive more boldly, people who base it on physical strength display a stronger handgrip, and people who base it on basketball ability score more points. Mortality salience also increases giving to valued charities, seeking material wealth, the desire for love and for children, and greater appreciation of romantic partners who bolster your self-worth.
But after they have stopped consciously focusing on death, death thoughts tend to linger on the fringes of consciousness. In psychological lingo, they are high in accessibility, which means they are more likely to pop into consciousness than normal. There are two ways in which we measure death thought accessibility. One is by having people complete a series of word stems, some of which could be completed in a death- or nondeath-related way. For example, coff_ _, which could be coffee or coffin. The more death-word completions, the more accessible death thoughts are. The other way is by flashing words and nonwords on a screen and assessing how fast people recognise death-related words as words. The faster they do so, the more accessible death thoughts are.
A variety of studies since have helped to explain why this happened, how death fears draw people toward leaders who convey a certain kind of worldview. Metaphorically, the world is stuck between two types of worldviews, the rock and the hard place. Charismatic leaders sell the rock-type worldview. Our group is great, there is certain good and evil, right and wrong, and our group is destined to triumph over that evil. This kind of worldview works well for quelling anxiety, as it helps people feel that they are significant contributors to something great and lasting, whether a great cause, a great nation or a great deity. It is most commonly a fundamentalist or conservative worldview, but it also characterises some Left-wing ideologies such as hardline communism and environmental extremism. The problem with this type of worldview is that it often leads to destructive actions against those designated as evil.
The existing evidence supports the position that reminders of death move people toward more rock-type worldviews. Mortality salience leads Iranian college students to be more supportive of martyrdom attacks on the US, and leads conservative Americans to be more supportive of extreme and even pre-emptive nuclear attacks on perceived threats to the US. My colleagues and I have found that stressing values of tolerance and compassion can temporarily reduce defensive reactions in response to the threat of death. But what we really need for a more peaceful world is to resist clinging to rigid worldviews despite our fear and cope with it more constructively instead.
Management theories are concepts surrounding recommended management strategies, which may include tools such as frameworks and guidelines that can be implemented in modern organizations. Generally, professionals will not rely solely on one management theory alone, but instead, introduce several concepts from different management theories that best suit their workforce and company culture.
For a long time, theorists have been researching the most suitable forms of management for different work settings. This is where management theories come into play. Although some of these theories were developed centuries ago, they still provide stable frameworks for running businesses.
The strategy was a bit different from how businesses were conducted beforehand. Initially, a factory executive enjoyed minimal, if any, contact with his employees. There was absolutely no way of standardizing workplace rules and the only motivation of the employees was job security.
Systems management offers an alternative approach to the planning and management of organizations. The systems management theory proposes that businesses, like the human body, consists of multiple components that work harmoniously so that the larger system can function optimally. According to the theory, the success of an organization depends on several key elements: synergy, interdependence, and interrelations between various subsystems.
Employees are one of the most important components of a company. Other elements crucial to the success of a business are departments, workgroups, and business units. In practice, managers are required to evaluate patterns and events in their companies so as to determine the best management approach. This way, they are able to collaborate on different programs so that they can work as a collective whole rather than as isolated units.
Do you believe that every individual gets maximum satisfaction from the work they do? Or are you of the opinion that some view work as a burden and only do it for the money? Such assumptions influence how an organization is run. The assumptions also form the basis of Theory X and Theory Y.
Douglas McGregor is the theorist credited with developing these two contrasting concepts. More specifically, these theories refer to two management styles: the authoritarian (Theory X) and participative (Theory Y).
In an organization where team members show little passion for their work, leaders are likely to employ the authoritarian style of management. But if employees demonstrate a willingness to learn and are enthusiastic about what they do, their leader is likely to use participative management. The management style that a manager adopts will influence just how well he can keep his team members motivated.
Theory X holds a pessimistic view of employees in the sense that they cannot work in the absence of incentives. Theory Y, on the other hand, holds an optimistic opinion of employees. The latter theory proposes that employees and managers can achieve a collaborative and trust-based relationship.
Still, there are a couple of instances where Theory X can be applied. For instance, large corporations that hire thousands of employees for routine work may find adopting this form of management ideal.
One of the reasons why managers should be interested in learning management theories is because it helps in maximizing their productivity. Ideally, the theories teach leaders how to make the most of the human assets at their disposal. So, rather than purchase new equipment or invest in a new marketing strategy, business owners need to invest in their employees through training.
Another area where management theories have proven to be useful is in the decision-making process. Max Weber proposed that hierarchical systems encourage informed decision-making. A report written by the Institute for Employment Studies suggests that flattening the hierarchy paves the way for local innovation while speeding up the decision-making process. Flattening out entails getting rid of job titles and senior positions so as to inspire a cohesive work environment.
Management theories developed in the 1900s, aimed at encouraging interpersonal relationships in the workplace. One such theory that encouraged a collaborative environment is the human relations approach. According to this theory, business owners needed to give their employees more power in making decisions.
Throughout history, companies have been putting different management theories into practice. Not only have they helped to increase productivity but they have also improved the quality of services. Although these management theories were developed ages ago, they help in creating interconnected work environments where employees and employers work hand-in-hand. Some of the most popular management theories that are applied nowadays are systems theory, contingency theory, Theory X and Theory Y, and the scientific management theory.
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