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Terror management theory is built upon the notion that man´s response to fear of death is to establish meaning and permanence in a subjective and ephemeral world. The perception of transcendent purpose is achieved via espousal of a worldview and the attainment of self-esteem. Throughout history, many religions have provided believers with a worldview, creating the perception of absolute truth and immortality by offering eternal reward and punishment based on adherence to the belief system. In this study I hypothesize that religion might behave differently as an existential buffer depending upon the persons´ perceived moral standing in relation to their belief system. This study attempts to test this assumption by examining the variable of security about salvation in the face of mortality salience.

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Nolan rampy received his masters degree in clinical psychology from abilene christian university. He is currently a graduate student at the university of vermont where he is studying terror management theory.

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