This ground-breaking volume features contributions by leading international researchers exploring the social psychology of insecurity, and how existential, metaphysical and social uncertainty influence human social behaviour.

Joseph P. Forgas is a Scientia Professor at the University of New South Wales. His research focuses on affective influences on social cognition and behaviour. For his work, he received the Order of Australia and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, and he has been elected Fellow of the Australian and Hungarian Academies of Science.

William D. Crano is Oskamp Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. He was Liaison Scientist for the US Office of Naval Research, NATO Senior Scientist, and Fulbright Senior Scholar. His research focuses on attitude development and attitude change and their applications.

Klaus Fiedler is Professor of Psychology at the University of Heidelberg and Fellow of the German Academies of Science, the Association for Psychological Sciences, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. His research focuses on social cognition, language judgements, and decision-making. He received several awards, including the Leibniz Award, and he is on the editorial boards of leading journals.

Part 1: The Nature and Sources of Insecurity 1. Understanding the Psychology of Insecurity: Evolutionary, Cognitive, and Cultural Perspectives 2. The Evolution of Insecurity 3. The Interactive Role of Death, Uncertainty, and the Loss of Shared Reality on Societal and Individual Insecurity 4. The Uncertainty Challenge: Escape It, Embrace It 5. Insecurity Can Be Beneficial: Reflections on Adaptive Strategies for Diverse Trade-off Settings Part II: Managing Individual Insecurity 6. The Arc of Dissonance: From Drive to Uncertainty 7. Persuasion as a Sop to Insecurity 8. Self-Handicapping in the Face of Uncertainty: The Paradox That Most Certainly Is 9. Strategy, Trust, and Freedom in an Uncertain World 10. Seeking Moral Meaning in Misfortune: Assigning Blame, Without Regard for Causation Part III: The Role of Insecurity in Social Relationships 11. Attachment Security and Coping with Existential Concerns: Studying Security Dynamics in Dyadic, Group, Sociopolitical, and Spiritual/Religious Relationships 12. Beyond Dyadic Interdependence: Romantic Relationships in an Uncertain Social World 13. Adult Attachment Insecurity During the COVID Pandemic: Heightened Insecurity and Its Undoing 14. Social Identity Dynamics in the Face of Overwhelming Uncertainty 15. From Individual Insecurity to Collective Security: The Group Survival Motivation Part IV: The Role of Insecurity and Uncertainty in Politics and Public Life 16. Trust in Social Institutions: The Role of Informational and Personal Uncertainty 17. The Politics of Insecurity: How Uncertainty Promotes Populism and Tribalism 18. Uncertainty, Academic Radicalization, and the Erosion of Social Science Credibility 19. Escape from uncertainty: To conspiracy theories and pseudoscience 20. Feelings of Insecurity as Drivers of Anti-Establishment Sentiments