| Abstract: | This article reviews legally oriented research guided by terror management theory. An analysis of terror management, a social psychological theory that explicates the central role of mortality concerns in human social behavior, is applied to domains associated with legal decision making. This article reviews research demonstrating that reminders of death instigate pervasive efforts to defend culturally derived belief systems. Next, the authors introduce empirical inquiry that has explicitly examined how mortality salience affects judgments toward criminal offenders, due process concerns, and compliance with judicial admonitions. Finally, the article explores implications for understanding potential bias in trial strategy, deliberation, and outcomes, as well as the psychological consequences of different punishments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
