Collective and Personal Annihilation Anxiety: Measuring Annihilation Anxiety AA

Ibrahim A. Kira, Thomas Templin, Linda Lewandowski, Vidya Ramaswamy, Bulent Ozkan, Jamal Mohanesh, Abdulkhaleq Hussam

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DOI: 10.4236/psych.2012.31015                

Abstract

AA is defined in the psychoanalytic literature as fear of impending psychic or physical destruction that is triggered by personal survival threats. Little or no attention in the psychoanalytic literature was given to collective or group survival threats. We developed a short measure for AA that includes both kinds of survival threats. We used a clinical sample of 399 mental health clients and measures for cumulative trauma, PTSD, cumulative trauma related disorders, depression and anxiety. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis, multiple regressions, and path analysis. The developed short measure has good reliability, strong divergent and predictive validity and generally fit the theoretical assumptions that underlie the construct. The measure can be useful in clinical screening, and in psychological and political research, especially with the multiply traumatized. Subsequent research that utilized the measure replicated the findings.

Keywords

Collective Identity; Annihilation Anxiety; Identity Threats; Collective Annihilation Anxiety; Identity Salience; Mortality Salience

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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