The Constitution of Death Valence as a Key to Intervene in Social Discrimination

Abstract

According to terror and meaning management theories, positive death valence might facilitate psychosocial intervention in social discrimination. The present theoretical article investigates the constitution of death valence with the objective to indicate key factors for a more radical, intersectional intervention in social discrimination. Basing on foundational works and recent research, I conclude that the automatic expectation of death need fulfillment constitutes death valence. Five death needs are detected: agency, belonging, dignity, hope, and meaning. I then outline how the expectation of death need fulfillment may depend on death culture, with a special focus on the United States. Emotional death proximity is a necessary first step to perceive death needs and to contrast them with the cultural possibilities to fulfill them. Thus, psychosocial intervention in social discrimination may be improved by incorporating the key factors of positive death valence: emotional death proximity, death needs, and death culture.