Ulterior Motives

How goals, both seen and unseen, drive behavior

Art Markman is a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas whose research spans a range of topics in the way people think. See full bio

July 29, 2008, Anxiety

Comments on "Death and other anxieties"

Death and other anxieties

By Art Markman, Ph.D. on July 29, 2008 in Ulterior Motives

Psychological research on motivation has proposed a lot of strange theories. Perhaps the strangest (to my mind) is Terror Management Theory. I realize that this sounds like a psychological theory that ought to be part of the Department of Homeland Security, but actually, it proposes that people have specific motivational mechanisms that permit them to deal with the fact that they can contemplate their own mortality. Read More

Anxiety should be seen more

Submitted by david Petropoulos on July 29, 2008 - 6:21pm.

Anxiety should be seen more as a mental health issue then a healthy mentality. Anxiety often suggest brain disfunction.I have ADD which comes with a moderate dose of anxiety. You can also have a gene anomaly bringing about anxiety and emotional sensitivity. Then there's plain old depression,which carries with it high anxiety among other mental difficulty's. sincerely-David

Death and Other Anxieties

Submitted by Amnon Orent on July 30, 2008 - 9:02am.

I found this article to be very informative if a bit unnerving...especially from this end of the curve...the late Fall of our seasons.
One aspect you forgot is the signal system that wives provide for the impending inevitable. "When are we going to meet with the lawyer in order to go over the WILL?"; "Have you checked to see that all of our investments are in good order...long term?" ; "You must get rid of that tire that you are carrying around your middle"; "you must get rid of all those papers that we don't need anymore"; "you must get rid of your junk..."(things she doesn't appreciate); "We have too much clutter";...etc. All these comments serve to remind the listener that time is running by fast...In any case, I am sure that these comments, as innocent and practical as they may sound, add to the reality which senior citizens face from day to day. This is especially so if you read the obituaries.