Culture Shapes Moral Reasoning About Close Others

Moral norms balance the needs of the group versus individuals, and societies across the globe vary in terms of the norms they prioritize. Extant research indicates that people from Western cultures consistently choose to protect (vs. punish) close others who commit crimes. Might this differ in cultu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. General 2024-09, Vol.153 (9), p.2345-2358
Main Authors: Baldwin, Chayce R., Berg, Martha K., Yuan, Jiayin, Sowden, Walter J., Kitayama, Shinobu, Kross, Ethan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collective Behavior
Cross Cultural Differences
Female
Foreign Language Translation
Human
Interpersonal Relationships
Male
Morality
Reasoning
Social Norms
Sociocultural Factors
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Summary:Moral norms balance the needs of the group versus individuals, and societies across the globe vary in terms of the norms they prioritize. Extant research indicates that people from Western cultures consistently choose to protect (vs. punish) close others who commit crimes. Might this differ in cultural contexts that prioritize the self less? Prior research presents two compelling alternatives. On the one hand, collectivists may feel more intertwined with and tied to those close to them, thus protecting close others more. On the other hand, they may prioritize society over individuals and thus protect close others less. Four studies (N = 2,688) performed in the United States and Japan provide self-report, narrative, and experimental evidence supporting the latter hypothesis. These findings highlight how personal relationships and culture dynamically interact to shape how we think about important moral decisions. Public Significance Statement Modern civilization is built on rules about how to behave. Yet, in Western cultures, when these rules are violated by people we know and love, people consistently dismiss them. Here, we demonstrate that this propensity to protect close others is powerfully influenced by culture. In four studies, we provide evidence (N = 2,688) that people from Japan-a culture in which individual interests are prioritized less than in the United States-are less likely to protect close others who transgress out of concern for the impact on society. We also demonstrate that this cultural difference disappears when people from Japan are themselves the victims, a scenario in which societal interests are muted and personal interests are focal. This work highlights how personal relationships and culture dynamically interact to shape how we think about important moral decisions.
ISSN:0096-3445
1939-2222
1939-2222
DOI:10.1037/xge0001626