My Jesus Vs. Yours: Morality Salience Increases Positivity in Implicit and Explicit Images of Christ

Author Names and Emails

Desiree JohnsonFollow

Authors' Affiliations

Desiree Johnson, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Wise, VA

Location

Culp Center Ballroom

Start Date

4-25-2023 9:00 AM

End Date

4-25-2023 11:00 AM

Poster Number

157

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Psychology

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Robert Arrowood

Classification of First Author

Undergraduate Student

Competition Type

Competitive

Type

Poster Presentation

Project's Category

Psychology

Abstract or Artist's Statement

To examine how awareness of death (cues) influences believers with implicit and explicit images of Jesus with terror management theory. Previous research has found with terror management theory (TMT), that a persons view of their God provides an understanding of their worldviews and motivations. There is much evidence to suggest that character assessments, or individual differences in personality, are closely tied to people’s facial appearance and their trustworthiness. In this study using TMT, we are able to relate death thoughts to their visual perceptions of Jesus. In over 30 years, empirical research has demonstrated that reminders of morality leads people to defend their worldviews. The purpose of this research was to understand if specific words alluding to death would change how Christian individuals mentally see their Christ in comparison with no priming. We specifically have hypothesized that people who were reminded of death words would illustrate a more positive, empathetic Christ and a more neutral Christ with the lack of priming.

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Apr 25th, 9:00 AM Apr 25th, 11:00 AM

My Jesus Vs. Yours: Morality Salience Increases Positivity in Implicit and Explicit Images of Christ

Culp Center Ballroom

To examine how awareness of death (cues) influences believers with implicit and explicit images of Jesus with terror management theory. Previous research has found with terror management theory (TMT), that a persons view of their God provides an understanding of their worldviews and motivations. There is much evidence to suggest that character assessments, or individual differences in personality, are closely tied to people’s facial appearance and their trustworthiness. In this study using TMT, we are able to relate death thoughts to their visual perceptions of Jesus. In over 30 years, empirical research has demonstrated that reminders of morality leads people to defend their worldviews. The purpose of this research was to understand if specific words alluding to death would change how Christian individuals mentally see their Christ in comparison with no priming. We specifically have hypothesized that people who were reminded of death words would illustrate a more positive, empathetic Christ and a more neutral Christ with the lack of priming.