Positive Changes as the Dependent Variable

Meaning in Life does not Mediate the Effect of Fear of Death on Positive Changes. Fear of death was negatively associated with positive changes, satisfying Step 1 for mediation (see Table 7.2). Step 2 is to show a significant correlation between fear of death and presence of meaning (r = -.48, p<.001). When entered simultaneously into a regression analysis to predict positive changes (Steps 3 and 4), fear of death (β = -.17, t (161) = -1.99, p<.05) was reduced in significance, but remained significant, while presence of meaning was non-significant (β = .12, t (161) = 1.43, ns). Thus, the presence of meaning did not mediate the effect of fear of death on positive changes, whereas fear of death had a direct negative effect on positive changes: People with a greater fear of death reported fewer positive changes, irrespective of the meaning in their lives.

Need Satisfaction in Relationships does not Mediate the Effect of Fear of Death on Positive Changes. Fear of death was negatively associated with positive changes, satisfying Step 1 for mediation (see Table 7.2). Step 2 is to show a significant correlation between fear of death and need satisfaction in relationships (r = -.20, p<.05). When entered simultaneously into a regression analysis to predict positive changes (Steps 3 and 4), fear of death (β = -.23, t (161) = -2.96, p<.01) remained significant, while need satisfaction in relationships was non- significant (β = .00, t (161) = -.03, ns). Thus, having satisfying close relationships did not mediate the effect of fear of death on positive changes, whereas fear of death had a direct negative effect on positive changes: People with a greater fear of death reported fewer positive changes, irrespective of their close relationships.

Death Avoidance. Death avoidance was not associated with positive changes in this sample, and so the Step 1 requirement for mediation was not met.

7.2.3 Discussion

The findings from this study lend strong support to our first group of experimental hypotheses, namely, that fear of death, death avoidance, and searching for meaning in life would be associated with more negative changes, fewer positive changes, and lower psychological well-being. Associations between the presence of meaning in life, and need satisfaction in close relationships were in the hypothesised directions for negative changes (negative associations) and

psychological well-being (positive associations), but the absence of any relationship between positive changes and need satisfaction in close relationships provides an anomaly. It is not clear from these data why this may be, but we speculate that, given the nature of the sample (churchgoers), meaning in life may be a more salient factor in their psychological experiences. The correlational data appear to support this.

From the perspective of the organismic valuing theory of growth (Joseph & Linley, in press), it may also be the case that the churchgoers were congruent and functioning well (i.e., low neuroticism and anxiety) before the event in relation to which they reported their psychological changes. If so, the organismic valuing theory would predict that need satisfaction in relationships after the event (as we measured it here) would be a much less important factor in psychological change than it would have been had prior personality been more incongruent (which we did not measure here, and which would require a fully prospective longitudinal methodology). In statistical terms, it may be that need satisfaction in relationships moderates the association between prior personality and psychological changes: need satisfaction in relationships is more important when prior personality is incongruent, but is not so important when prior personality is congruent, and people are functioning well.

Further analyses revealed that the presence of meaning and the satisfaction of needs within close relationships both typically served to undo the negative effects of fear of death and death avoidance. This is consistent with our predictions,

based on Yalom’s (1980) theory, and the experimental work of Mikulincer (e.g., Florian et al., 2002; Mikulincer et al., 2002) and work within terror management theory (e.g., Greenberg et al., 1990) that meaning in life and close relationships serve to undo the negative effects of death anxiety, broadly defined. Our mediation analyses showed that the associations between fear of death and death avoidance, and negative changes and psychological well-being, were typically completely or at least partially mediated by the presence of meaning in life and need satisfaction within close relationships. These findings indicate, consistent with theory and our hypotheses, that one of the ways in which people may manage their anxieties about death (e.g., fear of death, death avoidance) is through the adoption of beliefs which imbue their lives with meaning, or through seeking out satisfying close relationships as a symbolic shield against fears of death.

The positive association between need satisfaction in close relationships and psychological well-being, and the negative association between need satisfaction and negative changes, are consistent with the predictions of the organismic valuing theory of growth proposed by Joseph and Linley (in press). However, the absence of any association between need satisfaction and positive changes is an anomaly. This is a topic to which we return in the General Discussion below. Finally, the positive correlation between positive changes and psychological well- being again provides support for another prediction specified by the organismic valuing theory of growth, and is consistent with our hypotheses for this study. While there are some consistencies in the patterns of correlations for both positive changes and psychological well-being, these patterns are not so consistent as to

suggest that the two constructs are synonymous, at least as we have assessed them here. However, the patterns do indicate that it is appropriate to consider positive changes from the perspective of psychological well-being (Joseph & Linley, in press; Linley et al., in press).