Based on the terror management theory (TMT), this study integrated self-esteem and close relationships to explore the effects of group identification on death anxiety. Five hundred and four participants completed the Death Anxiety, Rosenberg Self-Esteem, Social Identity, and Inclusion of Other in the Self scales via online platforms. There were significant correlations among group identification, close relationship, self-esteem, and death anxiety. Group identification had a significant negative predictive effect on death anxiety. Specifically, group identification affects death anxiety through two pathways: the separate mediating role of self-esteem and the serial mediation pathway of close relationships → self-esteem. Our study provides direct evidence that group identification relieves death anxiety. The results showed that the alleviating function of group identification was mediated by self-esteem and close relationships. This study provides a new perspective concerning TMT as a defense mechanism against death anxiety.

Prior studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of social exclusion on an individual’s self-perception. Nonetheless, existing literature has predominantly focused on its impact on global self-esteem, often neglecting the nuanced effects of various reasons for social exclusion on distinct dimensions of self-evaluation, such as agency and communion. Based on the Big Two model perspective, the present research aims to examine the differential impacts of social exclusion on the distinct dimensions of self-evaluation, namely agency and communion, considering the reasons for social exclusion. It is hypothesized that social exclusion affects different facets of self-evaluation—agency and communion—depending on the context of exclusion. Study 1 identified negative correlations between perceived social exclusion and self-evaluation measures through questionnaires, including global self-esteem and the self-concepts of agency and communion, within a sample of 483 participants (283 females). Studies 2a (n = 93; 75 females) and 2b (n = 91; 66 females), which employed a recall paradigm to manipulate social exclusion in the domains of communion and agency, respectively, revealed that communion exclusion diminished communal self-evaluation, and agency exclusion significantly reduced both agentic and communal self-evaluation. These findings highlight the necessity of distinguishing various types of social exclusion and their distinct effects on the dimensions of self-concept. The research has important implications for the development of interventions aimed at enhancing individual psychological well-being and promoting inclusive social environments.

Self-change is crucial for driving both individual growth and societal progress. Based on schema theory, this study proposes that indirect multicultural experiences may be an effective pathway to promote self-change, with positive emotions and meaning seeking serving as mediators, and social class as a moderator. To test this hypothesis, an online survey was conducted with 1627 participants aged 18–55 years, using scales to assess indirect multicultural experiences, self-change, positive emotions, meaning seeking, and both subjective and objective social classes. The results indicated that indirect multicultural experiences promote self-change not only by enhancing positive emotions but also by fostering meaning seeking. Additionally, social class moderated the relationship between indirect multicultural experiences and self-change, with subjective social class playing a more pronounced role than objective social class. Individuals with higher subjective social class overall benefited more from indirect multicultural experiences. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanisms behind self-change and suggest that interventions aiming to foster personal growth and self-improvement can benefit from encouraging diverse cultural exposures, focusing on enhancing individuals’ subjective sense of social class.