Terror Management

In: FP, Heft 199

Abstract

Reflecting on US-Soviet relations late in his presidency, Ronald Reagan once mused about one thing that could unite humanity: a threat from a power from outer space. At the time, the sci-fi reference seemed a little out of place in a discussion about international relations, but the Gipper had a point: Bitter rivals don't tend to unite unless they face a common threat from a third party. Some psychologists, however, now suggest people may not have to wait for flying saucers in the search for a global threat that can bring humanity together -- they may already have created one themselves in the form of hotter temperatures, rising sea levels, and increasingly unpredictable weather. Adapted from the source document.