Death, in some parts of the modern world, has become a distant concept, rarely addressed until it strikes someone close to us. In the Victorian period, photography introduced a new trend: the memento mori, where the deceased were positioned for a posthumous portrait. It might seem strange, but was it a healthy act?
Death awareness is known as mortality salience and is a key concept in the terror management theory. This theory suggests that while we are biologically wired for survival, we are also intelligent enough to know that death is inevitable, and reconciling these two ideas can cause paralyzing terror.
In order to function with an awareness of our mortality, TMT states that we rely on culture and self-esteem. There culture gives us a sense of permanencesuggesting that our influence can extend beyond our lifetime, while self-esteem makes us feel like we’re making the most of it the time we have.
A 2010 review examined two decades of research to see how mortality salience influences people’s behaviors and beliefs. The document begins with a quote from Ernest Becker from 1973: “The idea of death, the fear of it, obsesses the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity – activity designed largely to avoid the inevitability of death, to overcome it while somehow denying that it is man’s final destiny.“
So, how does this mainspring manifest in our lives? The analysis confirmed that mortality salience is a driver of human behavior and cognitive processes, having a lasting effect on us. The effect can be defensive and negative, but also positive. Death warnings come in various forms, but in the case of near-death experiences, mortality salience has the potential to lead to positive growth.
Gathering around dear Aunt Giulia for one last selfie might seem strange, but the Victorian memento mori had its merits. Photography was new at the time and a dead subject was photogenic when it came to long exposure times. The deceased could be placed with their favorite objects, dressed in their best, and often the photo was there first and last ever taken of them.
Memento mori has not disappeared, in fact, it is encouraged in some hospital settings, especially for grieving parents. In their study, Cybele Blood and Joanne Cacciatore explored how photos of deceased children can contribute to the psychological well-being of parents, ritualizing behaviors and generating meaning. Some parents talked about tributes and honor, and how the event led to significant life changes, such as a career change.
As terror management theory suggests, for some people, confrontation with the death of others and our collective mortality it can be an engine of change. There is no single prescription for dealing with mortality, but it is possible that distancing ourselves from it deprives us of influences that are sometimes vital to our well-being.
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