在过去的三十多年间，恐惧管理理论积累了大量的实证研究发现死亡凸显后人们会表现出世界观防御和自尊寻求。然而与此同时这些研究也饱受争议。替代理论认为死亡凸显效应的出现是因为思考死亡让人们丧失了意义感、感到不确定、丧失了对生活的控制感、或丧失了和他人的联系，围绕着这一争论衍生了大量的实证研究和讨论，但是目前并未达成一致性的结论。先前研究通常将死亡凸显和另一心理需要威胁相对比，通过对比中介变量和因变量来支持相应的理论。本研究认为这一范式忽略了死亡凸显可能同时对其他众多心理需要均产生威胁，因此本研究测量了死亡凸显对参与者确定需要、控制需要、归属需要、意义需要以及自尊需要的影响，并进一步通过网络分析和潜在剖面分析对数据进行了深入挖掘。同时，本研究也对死亡凸显对负性情绪影响的争议进行了探索。

在预研究中，首先通过对死亡凸显效应中的对照组进行编码，确定了上述五个会因死亡凸显受到威胁的心理需要，发现当前研究仍然缺乏对于恐惧管理理论和替代理论的直接检验。在研究1（N=485）中测量了死亡凸显参与者的负性情绪和心理需要受损程度。结果发现五项心理需要联系紧密，并且自尊需要和意义需要在网络中的中心性更高。潜在剖面分析的结果并未发现某一心理需要受挫在某一剖面中较为突出。在情绪方面，恐惧情绪的中心性较高，并且潜在剖面分析的结果发现其中一类参与者表现出较高的恐惧、焦虑和悲伤情绪，而其他负性情绪处于中等水平。研究2（N=559）对研究1的结果进行了重复验证，结果基本一致，并且发现心理需要受损程度较低的参与者表现出更好的心理健康水平。

本研究对解决恐惧管理理论和其替代理论之间的争议、死亡凸显效应的可重复性、心理需要领域内的统一框架、死亡凸显后的情绪以及对死亡焦虑的治疗等方面的问题均具有一定的启发意义。

Over the past three decades, terror management theory has accumulated a substantial body of empirical research findings, highlighting that people exhibit worldview defense and self-esteem striving after the mortality salience. However, these studies have also been highly controversial. Alternative theories suggest that the mortality salience effect can be explained by meaninglessness, uncertainty, lack of control, or isolation. This debate has led to numerous empirical studies and discussions, but a consensus has not yet been reached. Previous research has often contrasted the mortality salience with another psychological need threat by examining mediators or dependent variables. This study argues that this paradigm overlooks the possibility that the mortality salience may simultaneously threaten various psychological needs. Therefore, this study measured the impact of the mortality salience on participants' needs for certainty, control, belongingness, meaning, and self-esteem. Furthermore, this study explored the data in depth by the advantage of network analysis and latent profile analysis. Additionally, this study examined the controversy about the impact of the mortality salience on negative emotions.

In a pilot study, this study coded the topics in the control group and identified five psychological needs as mentioned above. It was found that the current research still lacks the testing of the terror management theory and alternative theories. Study 1 (N=485) measured negative emotions and psychological needs after the mortality salience. The results revealed a close connection among the five psychological needs, with self-esteem and meaning showing higher centrality in the network. The results of latent profile analysis did not indicate a prominent psychological need impairment in any specific profile. In terms of emotions, fear emotion showed higher centrality, and the results of latent profile analysis identified one group of participants displaying higher levels of fear, anxiety, and sadness, while other negative emotions were at moderate levels. Study 2 (N=559) replicated the results of Study 1 with consistent findings, and also found that participants with lower levels of psychological need frustration exhibited better levels of psychological well-being.

This study provides insights into addressing the controversies between terror management theory and its alternative theories, the replicability of the mortality salience effect, a unified framework in the field of psychological needs, emotions after the mortality salience, and the treatment of death anxiety.