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COMMENTARY ON “THE MEANING MAINTENANCE MODEL: ON THE COHERENCE OF SOCIAL MOTIVATIONS”

Year 2018, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 183 - 201, 25.06.2018

Sanem Küçükömürler Türker Özkan

Abstract

Meaning Maintenance Model (MMM) was proposed by
Heine, Proulx, and Vohs (2006) in the article named “The Meaning Maintenance
Model: On the Coherence of Social Motivations”. Additionally, writers were interested in four different motivations and suggested MMM as
the underlying motivation among them. However, there is a questionable point in
the article. The authors actually selected meaning maintenance motivation as
the primary motivation, while it is still possible to select another one as the
primary. Thus, questions related with the primary motivation claim are needed
to be examined.  Is meaning maintenance a
primary motive? Is there any other triggering mechanism for meaning
maintenance? Or is it possible to track the supports for meaning maintenance as
demonstrating another mechanism? In this paper, specifically, the aim is to
analyze the claim of ‘basic motivation’ made by Heine, Proulx, and Vohs (2006)
from a different perspective within literature about uncertainty reduction.

Keywords

Meaning Maintenance Model Uncertainty Reduction Uncertainty Management Primary Motivations Commentary

References

  • Asch, S. E. (1951). “Effects of Group Pressure upon the Modification and Distortion of Judgment”. Groups, Leadership and Men, H. Guetzkow (Ed.). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press, 222-236.
  • Baumeister, R. F.; Jones, E. E. (1978). “When Self-Presentation is Constrained by the Target’s Knowledge: Consistency and Compensation”. Journal of personality and Social Psychology, 36, 608-618.
  • Baumeister, R. F.; Leary, M. R. (1995). “The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation”. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.
  • Bem, D. J. (1972). “Self-Perception Theory”. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 6, 1-62.
  • Berlyne, D. E. (1962). “Uncertainty and Epistemic Curiosity”. British Journal of Psychology, 53 (1), 27-34.
  • Campbell, J. D. (1990). “Self-Esteem and Clarity of the Self-Concept”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(3), 538-549.
  • Cialdini, R. B.; Borden, R. J.; Thorne, A.; Walker, M. R.; Freeman, S.; Sloan, L. R. (1976). “Basking in Reflectory Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 366-375.
  • Craik, F. I.; Lockhart, R. S. (1972). “Levels of Processing: A Framework for Memory Research”. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11(6), 671-684.
  • Dechesne, M.; Pyszczynski, T.; Arndt, J.; Ransom, S.; Sheldon, K. M.; Van Knippenberg, A.; Janssen, J. (2003). “Literal and Symbolic Immortality: The Effect of Evidence of Literal Immortality on Self-Esteem Striving in Response to Mortality Salience”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 722.
  • Doherty, K. T. (1998). “Mind of Her Own: Effects of Need for Closure and Gender on Reactions to Nonconformity”. Sex Roles, 38, 801-819.
  • Hohman, Z. P.; Hogg, M. A. (2011). “Fear and Uncertainty in the Face of Death: The Role of Life after Death in Group Identification”. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41(6), 751-760.
  • Humphreys, P.; Berkeley, D. (1985). “Handling Uncertainty: Levels of Analysis of Decision Problems”. Behavioral Decision Making, G. Wright (Ed.), Springer US, 257-282.
  • Jacobson, J. A.; Weary, G.,; Lin, Y. S. (2008). “Causal Uncertainty and Metacognitive Inferences about Goal Attainment”. Cognition & Emotion, 22, 1276-1305.
  • Kagan, J. (1972). “Motives and Development”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 22 (1), 51-66.
  • Kahneman, D.; Tversky, A. (1982). “Variants of Uncertainty”. Cognition, 11 (2), 143-157.
  • Kernis, M. H. (2003). “Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem”. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), 1-26.
  • Knobloch, L. K.; Solomon, D. H. (1999). “Measuring the Sources and Content of Relational Uncertainty”. Communication Studies, 50 (4), 261-278.
  • Langer, E. J. (1975). “The Illusion of Control”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 311-328.
  • Langer, E. J.; Roth, J. (1975). “Heads I Win, Tails It's Chance: The Illusion of Control as a Function of the Sequence of Outcomes in a Purely Chance Task”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 951-955.
  • Lerner, M. J. (1965). “Evaluation of Performance as a Function of Performer’s Reward and Attractiveness”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1, 355–360.
  • Leary, M. R.; Tambor, E. S.; Terdal, S. K.; Downs, D. L. (1995). “Self-Esteem as an Interpersonal Monitor: The Sociometer Hypothesis”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(3), 518-530.
  • Maas, M.; Van Den Bos, K. (2009). “An Affective-Experiential Perspective on Reactions to Fair and Unfair Events: Individual Differences in Affect Intensity Moderated by Experiential Mindsets”. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45 (4), 667-675.
  • McGregor, I.; Zanna, M. P.; Holmes, J. G.; Spencer, S. J. (2001). Compensatory Conviction in the Face of Personal Uncertainty: Going to Extremes and Being Oneself. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80 (3), 472-488.
  • Miedemam, J.; Van den Bos, K.; Vermunt, R. (2006). “The Influence of Self-Threats on Fairness Judgments and Affective Measures”. Social Justice Research, 19 (2), 228-253.
  • Monat, A.; Averill, J. R.; Lazarus, R. S. (1972). “Anticipatory Stress and Coping Reactions under Various Conditions of Uncertainty”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24 (2), 237-253.
  • Navarette, C. D.; Kurzban, R.; Fessler, D. M. T.; Kirkpatrick, L. A. (2004). “Anxiety and Intergroup Bias: Terror Management or Coalition Psychology”. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 7, 370-397.
  • Piaget, J. (1953). “The Origins of Intelligence in Children”. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17 (6), 467.
  • Piaget, J.; Elkind, D.; Tenzer, A. (1968). Six Psychological Studies (Vol. 462). New York: Vintage Books.
  • Robins, R. W.; Trzesniewski, K. H. (2005). “Self-Esteem Development Across the Lifespan”. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14 (3), 158-162.
  • Rosenblatt, A.; Greenberg, J.; Solomon, S.; Pyszczynski, T.; Lyon, D. (1989). “Evidence for Terror Management Theory I: The Effects of Mortality Salience on Reactions to Those who Violate or Uphold Cultural Values”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57 (4), 681-690.
  • Ross, L.; Greene, D.; House, P. (1977). “The ‘False Consensus Effect’: An Egocentric Bias in Social Perception and Attribution Processes”. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 13 (3), 279-301.
  • Sedikides, C.; De Cremer, D.; Hart, C. M.; Brebels, L. (2010). “Procedural Fairness Responses in the Context of Self-Uncertainty”. Handbook of the Uncertain Self, R. M. Arkin; K. C. Oleson; P. J. Carroll (Eds.), New York: Psychology Press, 142-159.
  • Sorrentino, R. M.; Bobocel, C. R.; Gitta, M. Z.; Olson, J. M.; Hewitt, E. C. (1988). “Uncertainty Orientation and Persuasion: Individual Differences in the Effects of Personal Relevance on Social Judgements”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 357-371.
  • Sorrentino, R. M.; Short, J. C. (1986). “Uncertainty Orientation, Motivation, and Cognition”. Handbook of Motivation and Cognition: Foundations of Social Behavior, Vol. 1, R. M. Sorrentino, J. C. Short (Eds.), New York: Guilford, 419-427.
  • Sorrentino, R. M.; Short, J. A. C.; Raynor, J. O. (1984). “Uncertainty Orientation: Implications for Affective and Cognitive Views of Achievement Behavior”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46 (1), 189-206.
  • Tajfel, H. (1970). “Elements in Intergroup Discrimination”. Scientific American, 223 (5), 96-102.
  • Taylor, S. E.; Brown, J. (1988). “Illusion and Well-Being: A Social Psychological Perspective on Mental Health”. Psychological Bulletin, 103 (2), 193-210.
  • Tesser, A.; Crepaz, N.; Beach, S. R. H.; Cornell, D.; Collins, J. C. (2000). “Confluence of Self-Esteem Regulation Mechanisms: On Integrating the Self-Zero”. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7, 260-280.
  • Thelen, M. H.; Dollinger, S. J.; Kirkland, K. D. (1979). “Imitation and Response Uncertainty”. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 135(1), 139-152.
  • Tolin, D. F.; Abramowitz, J. S.; Brigidi, B. D.; Foa, E. B. (2003). “Intolerance of Uncertainty in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 17(2), 233-242.
  • Van den Bos, K. (2007). “Hot Cognition and Social Justice Judgements: The Combined Influence of Cognitive and Affective Factors on the Justice Judgement Process”. Advances in the Psychology of Justice and Affect, D. de Cremer (Ed.), Greenwich, CT: Information Age, 59-82.
  • Van den Bos, K. (2009). “Making Sense of Life: The Existential Self Trying to Deal with Personal Uncertainty”. Psychological Inquiry, 20, 197-217.
  • Van den Bos, K.; Poortvliet, P. M.; Maas, M.; Miedema, J.; van den Ham, E. J. (2005). “An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Cultural Norms and Values: The Impact of Uncertainty and Mortality Salience on Reactions to Violations and Bolstering of Cultural Worldviews”. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41 (2), 91-113.

“SOSYAL GÜDÜLEMELER BAĞLAMINDA ANLAMI SÜRDÜRME MODELİ” ÜZERİNE BİR YORUMLAMA

Year 2018, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 183 - 201, 25.06.2018

Sanem Küçükömürler Türker Özkan

Abstract

Anlamı Sürdürme Modeli
(Meaning Maintenance Model (MMM)) Heine, Proulx ve Vohs (2006) tarafından “The
Meaning Maintenance Model: On the Coherence of Social Motivations” (Sosyal
Güdülemeler Bağlamında Anlamı Sürdürme Modeli) isimli makalede öne sürülmüştür.
Yazarlar ayrıca dört farklı güdüleme modeli ile ilgilenmiş ve anlamı sürdürme
modelinin diğer dört modelin altında yatan mekanizma olduğunu önermişlerdir. Fakat
bu makalede sorgulanabilecek noktalar bulunmaktadır. Yazarlar aslında başka bir
güdülemeyi öncü olarak seçebilecekleri halde anlamı sürdürme güdülemesini temel
güdüleme olarak seçmişlerdir. Bu nedenle temel güdüleme iddiasının incelenmesi
gerekmektedir. Anlamı sürdürme temel bir güdüleme midir? Anlamı sürdürmeyi
tetikleyen başka bir mekanizma var mıdır? Ya da anlamı sürdürme güdülemesini
destekleyen bulguları başka bir güdülemeyi destekler şekilde takip etmemiz
mümkün müdür? Bu yazıda Heine, Proulx ve Vohs (2006) tarafından yapılan temel
güdüleme savını belirsizliği azaltma yazınından gelen farklı bir bakış açısıyla
incelemek amaçlanmıştır. 

Keywords

Anlamı Sürdürme Modeli Belirsizliği Azaltma Belirsizliği Yönetme Temel Güdülemeler Yorumlama

References

  • Asch, S. E. (1951). “Effects of Group Pressure upon the Modification and Distortion of Judgment”. Groups, Leadership and Men, H. Guetzkow (Ed.). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press, 222-236.
  • Baumeister, R. F.; Jones, E. E. (1978). “When Self-Presentation is Constrained by the Target’s Knowledge: Consistency and Compensation”. Journal of personality and Social Psychology, 36, 608-618.
  • Baumeister, R. F.; Leary, M. R. (1995). “The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation”. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.
  • Bem, D. J. (1972). “Self-Perception Theory”. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 6, 1-62.
  • Berlyne, D. E. (1962). “Uncertainty and Epistemic Curiosity”. British Journal of Psychology, 53 (1), 27-34.
  • Campbell, J. D. (1990). “Self-Esteem and Clarity of the Self-Concept”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(3), 538-549.
  • Cialdini, R. B.; Borden, R. J.; Thorne, A.; Walker, M. R.; Freeman, S.; Sloan, L. R. (1976). “Basking in Reflectory Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 366-375.
  • Craik, F. I.; Lockhart, R. S. (1972). “Levels of Processing: A Framework for Memory Research”. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11(6), 671-684.
  • Dechesne, M.; Pyszczynski, T.; Arndt, J.; Ransom, S.; Sheldon, K. M.; Van Knippenberg, A.; Janssen, J. (2003). “Literal and Symbolic Immortality: The Effect of Evidence of Literal Immortality on Self-Esteem Striving in Response to Mortality Salience”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 722.
  • Doherty, K. T. (1998). “Mind of Her Own: Effects of Need for Closure and Gender on Reactions to Nonconformity”. Sex Roles, 38, 801-819.
  • Hohman, Z. P.; Hogg, M. A. (2011). “Fear and Uncertainty in the Face of Death: The Role of Life after Death in Group Identification”. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41(6), 751-760.
  • Humphreys, P.; Berkeley, D. (1985). “Handling Uncertainty: Levels of Analysis of Decision Problems”. Behavioral Decision Making, G. Wright (Ed.), Springer US, 257-282.
  • Jacobson, J. A.; Weary, G.,; Lin, Y. S. (2008). “Causal Uncertainty and Metacognitive Inferences about Goal Attainment”. Cognition & Emotion, 22, 1276-1305.
  • Kagan, J. (1972). “Motives and Development”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 22 (1), 51-66.
  • Kahneman, D.; Tversky, A. (1982). “Variants of Uncertainty”. Cognition, 11 (2), 143-157.
  • Kernis, M. H. (2003). “Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem”. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), 1-26.
  • Knobloch, L. K.; Solomon, D. H. (1999). “Measuring the Sources and Content of Relational Uncertainty”. Communication Studies, 50 (4), 261-278.
  • Langer, E. J. (1975). “The Illusion of Control”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 311-328.
  • Langer, E. J.; Roth, J. (1975). “Heads I Win, Tails It's Chance: The Illusion of Control as a Function of the Sequence of Outcomes in a Purely Chance Task”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 951-955.
  • Lerner, M. J. (1965). “Evaluation of Performance as a Function of Performer’s Reward and Attractiveness”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1, 355–360.
  • Leary, M. R.; Tambor, E. S.; Terdal, S. K.; Downs, D. L. (1995). “Self-Esteem as an Interpersonal Monitor: The Sociometer Hypothesis”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(3), 518-530.
  • Maas, M.; Van Den Bos, K. (2009). “An Affective-Experiential Perspective on Reactions to Fair and Unfair Events: Individual Differences in Affect Intensity Moderated by Experiential Mindsets”. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45 (4), 667-675.
  • McGregor, I.; Zanna, M. P.; Holmes, J. G.; Spencer, S. J. (2001). Compensatory Conviction in the Face of Personal Uncertainty: Going to Extremes and Being Oneself. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80 (3), 472-488.
  • Miedemam, J.; Van den Bos, K.; Vermunt, R. (2006). “The Influence of Self-Threats on Fairness Judgments and Affective Measures”. Social Justice Research, 19 (2), 228-253.
  • Monat, A.; Averill, J. R.; Lazarus, R. S. (1972). “Anticipatory Stress and Coping Reactions under Various Conditions of Uncertainty”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24 (2), 237-253.
  • Navarette, C. D.; Kurzban, R.; Fessler, D. M. T.; Kirkpatrick, L. A. (2004). “Anxiety and Intergroup Bias: Terror Management or Coalition Psychology”. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 7, 370-397.
  • Piaget, J. (1953). “The Origins of Intelligence in Children”. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17 (6), 467.
  • Piaget, J.; Elkind, D.; Tenzer, A. (1968). Six Psychological Studies (Vol. 462). New York: Vintage Books.
  • Robins, R. W.; Trzesniewski, K. H. (2005). “Self-Esteem Development Across the Lifespan”. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14 (3), 158-162.
  • Rosenblatt, A.; Greenberg, J.; Solomon, S.; Pyszczynski, T.; Lyon, D. (1989). “Evidence for Terror Management Theory I: The Effects of Mortality Salience on Reactions to Those who Violate or Uphold Cultural Values”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57 (4), 681-690.
  • Ross, L.; Greene, D.; House, P. (1977). “The ‘False Consensus Effect’: An Egocentric Bias in Social Perception and Attribution Processes”. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 13 (3), 279-301.
  • Sedikides, C.; De Cremer, D.; Hart, C. M.; Brebels, L. (2010). “Procedural Fairness Responses in the Context of Self-Uncertainty”. Handbook of the Uncertain Self, R. M. Arkin; K. C. Oleson; P. J. Carroll (Eds.), New York: Psychology Press, 142-159.
  • Sorrentino, R. M.; Bobocel, C. R.; Gitta, M. Z.; Olson, J. M.; Hewitt, E. C. (1988). “Uncertainty Orientation and Persuasion: Individual Differences in the Effects of Personal Relevance on Social Judgements”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 357-371.
  • Sorrentino, R. M.; Short, J. C. (1986). “Uncertainty Orientation, Motivation, and Cognition”. Handbook of Motivation and Cognition: Foundations of Social Behavior, Vol. 1, R. M. Sorrentino, J. C. Short (Eds.), New York: Guilford, 419-427.
  • Sorrentino, R. M.; Short, J. A. C.; Raynor, J. O. (1984). “Uncertainty Orientation: Implications for Affective and Cognitive Views of Achievement Behavior”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46 (1), 189-206.
  • Tajfel, H. (1970). “Elements in Intergroup Discrimination”. Scientific American, 223 (5), 96-102.
  • Taylor, S. E.; Brown, J. (1988). “Illusion and Well-Being: A Social Psychological Perspective on Mental Health”. Psychological Bulletin, 103 (2), 193-210.
  • Tesser, A.; Crepaz, N.; Beach, S. R. H.; Cornell, D.; Collins, J. C. (2000). “Confluence of Self-Esteem Regulation Mechanisms: On Integrating the Self-Zero”. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7, 260-280.
  • Thelen, M. H.; Dollinger, S. J.; Kirkland, K. D. (1979). “Imitation and Response Uncertainty”. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 135(1), 139-152.
  • Tolin, D. F.; Abramowitz, J. S.; Brigidi, B. D.; Foa, E. B. (2003). “Intolerance of Uncertainty in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 17(2), 233-242.
  • Van den Bos, K. (2007). “Hot Cognition and Social Justice Judgements: The Combined Influence of Cognitive and Affective Factors on the Justice Judgement Process”. Advances in the Psychology of Justice and Affect, D. de Cremer (Ed.), Greenwich, CT: Information Age, 59-82.
  • Van den Bos, K. (2009). “Making Sense of Life: The Existential Self Trying to Deal with Personal Uncertainty”. Psychological Inquiry, 20, 197-217.
  • Van den Bos, K.; Poortvliet, P. M.; Maas, M.; Miedema, J.; van den Ham, E. J. (2005). “An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Cultural Norms and Values: The Impact of Uncertainty and Mortality Salience on Reactions to Violations and Bolstering of Cultural Worldviews”. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41 (2), 91-113.
There are 43 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Sanem Küçükömürler This is me

Türker Özkan

Publication Date June 25, 2018
Submission Date May 15, 2017
Published in Issue Year 2018 Volume: 11 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Küçükömürler, S., & Özkan, T. (2018). COMMENTARY ON “THE MEANING MAINTENANCE MODEL: ON THE COHERENCE OF SOCIAL MOTIVATIONS”. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 11(1), 183-201.
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