From anxiety to action
A group of Salzburg-based researchers led by the psychologist Eva Jonas investigates the neuro-psychological mechanisms behind existential threats. What exactly happens in the process between threat and defensive reaction is at the centre of an ongoing study funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF.
(firmenpresse) - It is an interesting phenomenon: climate change is becoming more and more visible, the threat is growing -a situation that seems to call for action. Actually, most people respond with evasion where large and existential threats are concerned. centric attitude doesn''t develop immediately when people are threatened but after a delay. It will emerge at some later point and lead to these defensive and denigrating reactions
Ways of overcoming anxiety paralysis
For many years, Eva Jonas has been studying issues related to collective identity, loss of control and anxiety and the underlying psychological processes. She combines methods from social psychology with neuro-psychological examinations in order to track physical reactions of individuals alongside external observations of them. The current study on climate change is one of several designed to supply Jonas and her team with additional building blocks on what worldwide research calls s to supply answers.
When human beings feel existentially threatened their body reacts with an e result of that action will then depend strongly on the context in which someone lives -for instance the values of the group they feel affiliated to, the dominant culture in general or individual role models.
Social motivation as process model
Yet, as the psychologist from the University of Salzburg emphasises, one cannot claim that people generally indulge in denigrating or more conservative behaviour after a threat. In their investigations, the researchers observed that people also had a wish for change after experiencing a loss of control.
So as not to remain in anxious paralysis in the transition between threat and defence, a key element is the capability to act, as Eva Jones illustrates by means of a process model her team developed in the ongoing FWF project. The researchers want to find out what the prerequisites are for a constructive response to threats and what might be the impact of a targeted motivation to act.
Security as a prerequisite for the ability to act
Angela Merkelsis of Jonas.
Personal details
Eva Jonas (https://www.uni-salzburg.at/index.php?id=29460&L=1) heads the Section of Social Psychology at the University of Salzburg. The scholar is a seminal figure in the German-speaking area in the field of terror management research which deals with human awareness of one
Publications
Uhl, I., Klackl, J., Hansen, N., & Jonas, E.: Undesirable effects of threatening climate change information: A cross-cultural study, (http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430217735577?journalCode=gpia) in: Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2017
Agroskin, D., Jonas E., Klackl J. & Prentice, M.: Inhibition Underlies the Effect of High Need for Closure on Cultural Closed-Mindedness under Mortality Salience, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5078785/) in: Frontiers in Psychology, 2016
Jonas, E., McGregor, I., Klackl, J., Agroskin, D., Fritsche, I., Holbrook, C., Nash, K., Proulx, T., & Quirin, M.: Threat and defense: From anxiety to approach, (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128000526000044) in: J.M. Olson & M.P. Zanna (Eds.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2014
Jonas, E., & Fritsche, I.: Destined to die but not to wage war: How existential threat can contribute to escalation or de-escalation of violent intergroup conflict, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24128317) in: American Psychologist, 2013
Image and text will be available as of Monday, 11th December 2017, from 9.00 am CET at: http://scilog.fwf.ac.at/en
Scientific Contact
Prof. Eva Jonas
Universit
Department of Psychology
Hellbrunnerstra
5020 Salzburg, Austria
T +43 / 662 / 8044-5132
E eva.jonas(at)sbg.ac.at
W https://www.uni-salzburg.at/
Austrian Science Fund FWF
Ingrid Ladner
Haus der Forschung
Sensengasse 1
1090 Vienna, Austria
T +43 / 1 / 505 67 40 - 8117
E ingrid.ladner(at)fwf.ac.at
W http://scilog.fwf.ac.at/en/
W http://www.fwf.ac.at/en
Distribution
PR&D -Public Relations for Research and Education
Mariannengasse 8
1090 Vienna, Austria
T +43 / 1 / 505 70 44
E contact(at)prd.at
W http://www.prd.at/en
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Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria''s central funding organization for basic research.
Datum: 11.12.2017 - 05:13 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 1530740
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contact information:
Contact person: Till C. Jelitto
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Vienna
Phone: +43 / 1 / 505 70 44
Kategorie:
Research & Development
Typ of Press Release: Erfolgsprojekt
type of sending: Veröffentlichung
Date of sending: 11.12.2017
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