Exploring schadenfreude from the perspectives of deservingness and terror management theories

Kaynak B. D., HASDAĞ D.

Journal of Social Psychology, 2025 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/00224545.2025.2538228
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Social Psychology
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, PASCAL, Periodicals Index Online, ABI/INFORM, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Applied Science & Technology Source, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, Communication & Mass Media Index, Communication Abstracts, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Index Islamicus, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Psicodoc, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, SportDiscus, Violence & Abuse Abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Deservingness theory, mortality salience, schadenfreude, terror management theory
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

One of the most important characteristics of the human species is its tendency to collaborate with others and help them in times of adversity. However, some individuals may experience pleasure from the negative events that happen to others, known as schadenfreude. This study investigates schadenfreude within the frameworks of deservingness and terror management theories. An experimental study utilizing a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design was conducted with 247 participants (150 females, 97 males), and they were randomly assigned to four conditions. Participants’ schadenfreude levels were measured through vignettes following deservingness and mortality salience manipulations. Findings indicated that participants felt more schadenfreude toward individuals who achieved success undeservedly (low deservingness) than those who achieved it deservedly (high deservingness). However, there was no significant main effect of mortality salience nor significant interaction effects. The results suggest that deservingness is a crucial variable for understanding schadenfreude, while mortality salience does not show a significant effect.