Investigation of Simple and Multiple Relations between Death Anxiety, Symbolic Immortality and Gratitude

Subject Areas : Journal of Excellence in counseling and psychotherapy

Zeynab Lashani ¹ , Zohreh Lashani ² , Mohammad Reza Shaeiri ³ , Saeedeh Panahi ⁴

1 - Master of Clinical Psychology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Expert in counseling and guidance at Payame Noor University, South Tehran Branch
3 - PhD in Psychology, Faculty Member of Shahed University
4 - Master of Clinical Psychology, Shahed University

Received: 2015-03-30 Accepted : 2015-05-22 Published : 2015-06-21

Keywords: Terror Management Theory (TMT), Symbolic Immortality, Death anxiety and Gratitude,

Abstract :

Death anxiety is a main emotion in the Terror Management Theory. According to the TMT, death anxiety is cause of the symbolic immortality and symbolic immortality has a connection to gratitude in some ideas and action issues, the aim of this study was an investigation of relation between death anxiety, symbolic immortality and gratitude. Method: This study was a Correlation and regression study in student universities. The clustered sample of this study was 135 girls of Student Payam-e-noor and Azad Universities that completed Gratitude Questionnaire-6 items (GQ-6), sense of Symbolic Immortality Scale (SSIS) and Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). The results evaluated by descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and simple linear regression. Results: The results show that there is a positive significant correlation between gratitude and symbolic immortality, biosocial, creative, spiritual, transcendence and natural symbolic immortality. There was negative and significant correlation between death anxiety and symbolic immortality, and symbolic immortality was a predictor of death anxiety. Conclusion: In this study, symbolic immortality had a significant correlation with gratitude, and symbolic immortality was predictor of death anxiety.