TY - JOUR
T1 - Intimacy and risky sexual behavior - What does it have to do with death?
AU - Taubman-Ben-Ari, Orit
PY - 2004/11
Y1 - 2004/11
N2 - The current series of studies was conducted to explore the interplay between death awareness, fear of intimacy, and unsafe sex. In Study 1 (n = 73), making mortality salient led to higher willingness to engage in risky sexual behaviors, in comparison to a control condition. In addition, only in the mortality salience condition, lower fear of intimacy was assodated with higher sexual risk taking. Moreover, higher accessibility of death-related thoughts was found either following induction of thoughts about risky sex in Study 2 (n = 68), or upon the induction of thoughts about fear of intimacy in Study 3 (n = 74), in comparison to the induction of thoughts about a neutral theme. The findings extended Terror Management Theory to the realm of risky sexual behavior and are discussed in view of the terror management function of close relationships.
AB - The current series of studies was conducted to explore the interplay between death awareness, fear of intimacy, and unsafe sex. In Study 1 (n = 73), making mortality salient led to higher willingness to engage in risky sexual behaviors, in comparison to a control condition. In addition, only in the mortality salience condition, lower fear of intimacy was assodated with higher sexual risk taking. Moreover, higher accessibility of death-related thoughts was found either following induction of thoughts about risky sex in Study 2 (n = 68), or upon the induction of thoughts about fear of intimacy in Study 3 (n = 74), in comparison to the induction of thoughts about a neutral theme. The findings extended Terror Management Theory to the realm of risky sexual behavior and are discussed in view of the terror management function of close relationships.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=6344287393&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/07481180490490988
DO - 10.1080/07481180490490988
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 15493081
AN - SCOPUS:6344287393
SN - 0748-1187
VL - 28
SP - 865
EP - 887
JO - Death Studies
JF - Death Studies
IS - 9
ER -