scholarly journals Human Prosocial Motivation and the Maintenance of Social Order

2014 ◽  
pp. 27-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Gächter
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Goods Game ◽  
Homo Economicus ◽  
Rational Agents ◽  
Prosocial Motivation ◽  
The Third ◽  
Do So

This chapter presents some insights from basic behavioral research on the role of human prosocial motivation to maintain social order. I argue that social order can be conceptualized as a public goods game. Past attempts to explain social order typically relied on the assumption of selfish and rational agents (“homo economicus”). The last twenty years of research in behavioral and experimental economics have challenged this view. After presenting the most important findings of recent research on human prosociality I discuss the evidence on three pillars of the maintenance of social order. The first pillar is internalized norms of cooperation, sustained by emotions such as guilt and shame. The second pillar is the behavior of other people who typically are “conditional cooperators” willing to cooperate if others do so as well. This motivation can sustain cooperation if enough people cooperate but can jeopardize social order if many others follow selfish inclinations. The third pillar is sanctions meted out to anyone who does not cooperate; ideally punishment can work as a mere threat without being executed much. The chapter also presents some evidence on the cross-cultural variability of some findings, in particular with regard to punishment behavior. The chapter concludes with remarks on future research.

scholarly journals Priming intuition disfavors instrumental harm but not impartial beneficence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerio Capraro ◽  
Jim Albert Charlton Everett ◽  
Brian D. Earp
Keyword(s):  
Moral Judgment ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Model ◽  
Total N ◽  
Two Dimensional Model ◽  
Do So

Understanding the cognitive underpinnings of moral judgment is one of most pressing problems in psychological science. Some highly-cited studies suggest that reliance on intuition decreases utilitarian (expected welfare maximizing) judgments in sacrificial moral dilemmas in which one has to decide whether to instrumentally harm (IH) one person to save a greater number of people. However, recent work suggests that such dilemmas are limited in that they fail to capture the positive, defining core of utilitarianism: commitment to impartial beneficence (IB). Accordingly, a new two-dimensional model of utilitarian judgment has been proposed that distinguishes IH and IB components. The role of intuition on this new model has not been studied. Does relying on intuition disfavor utilitarian choices only along the dimension of instrumental harm or does it also do so along the dimension of impartial beneficence? To answer this question, we conducted three studies (total N = 970, two preregistered) using conceptual priming of intuition versus deliberation on moral judgments. Our evidence converges on an interaction effect, with intuition decreasing utilitarian judgments in IH—as suggested by previous work—but failing to do so in IB. These findings bolster the recently proposed two-dimensional model of utilitarian moral judgment, and point to new avenues for future research.

Daring to differ? Strategies of inclusion in peacemaking

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas T Hirblinger ◽  
Dana M Landau
Keyword(s):  
Research Policy ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Third ◽  
Peace Processes ◽  
Single Identity ◽  
Sociopolitical Structures ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Do So ◽  
Specific Identity

‘Inclusion’ has emerged as a prominent theme in peacemaking. However, its exact meaning remains vague, as do assumptions about the relationship between inclusion and peace. This article seeks to problematize the research, policy and practice of inclusion. Focusing on United Nations (UN) peacemaking, we ask how the object of inclusion has been framed, and based on what strategies and underlying rationales. We do so against the backdrop of emerging debates about an agonistic peace, which suggest that violent antagonistic relationships can be overcome if peace processes enable contestation between adversaries. This requires that peacemakers recognize the constitutive role of difference in political settlements. We identify three distinct strategies for inclusion, with corresponding framings of the included. Firstly, inclusion can be used to build a more legitimate peace; secondly, to empower and protect specific actor groups; and thirdly, to transform the sociopolitical structures that underlie conflict. The first strategy frames the included in open terms that can accommodate a heterogeneity of actors, the second in closed terms pertaining to specific identity traits, and the third in relational terms emerging within a specific social, cultural and political context. In practice, this leads to tensions in the operationalization of inclusion, which are evidence of an inchoate attempt to politicize peace processes. In response, we argue for an approach to relational inclusion that recognizes the power relations from which difference emerges; neither brushing over difference, nor essentializing single identity traits, but rather remaining flexible in navigating a larger web of relationships that require transformation.

Writing African Christianity

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 275-312
Author(s):  
Elias Kifon Bongmba
Keyword(s):  
Religious Communities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Disciplinary Practices ◽  
African Identity ◽  
African Christianity ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The Third ◽  
Cultural Movements ◽  
Material Conditions

In this overview of the historiography of Christianity in Africa a number of desiderata and considerations for future research are reviewed. The first issue considered relates to the practice of historiography. The second issue relates to African identity/-ies and its relationship to global cultural movements. The third desideratum is the pursuit of new disciplinary practices in the study of African Christianity, especially interdisciplinarity as scholarly ethos. Finally, a number of themes that should become foci in historiography of African Christianity are explored, among these are: concentration on local and regional narratives, the gendered character of Christianity in Africa, attention to the material conditions and needs of African religious communities and the various cultural innovations adopted to cope with these conditions, as well as the role of Christian communities in development in Africa and the wider encompassing question of ethics and morality.

Laughter, Humor, and Comedy in Ancient Philosophy

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Ancient Philosophy ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Third ◽  
Educational Role ◽  
Comic Poetry ◽  
Do So

Ancient philosophers were very interested in the themes of laughter, humor, and comedy. They theorized about laughter and its causes, moralized about the appropriate uses of humor and what it is appropriate to laugh at, and wrote treatises on comedic composition. Further, they were often merciless in ridiculing their opponents’ positions, often borrowing comedic devices and techniques from comic poetry and drama to do so. The volume is organized around three themes or sets of questions. The first set concerns the psychology of laughter. What is going on in our minds when we laugh? What background conditions must be in place for laughter to occur? Is laughter necessarily hostile or derisive? The second set of questions concerns the ethical and social norms governing laughter and humor. When is it appropriate or inappropriate to laugh? Does laughter have a positive social function? Is there a virtue, or excellence, connected to laugher and humor? The third set of questions concerns the philosophical uses of humor and comedic technique. Do philosophers use humor exclusively in criticizing other rivals, or can it play a positive educational role as well? If it can, how does philosophical humor communicate its philosophical content? This volume aims not to settle these fascinating questions but more modestly to start a conversation about them, in the hope that the volume will be both a reference point for discussions of laughter, humor, and comedy in ancient philosophy and an engine for future research about them.

The systematic study of how subtle forms of bias related to prosocial behavior operate in racial and gender relations

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-121
Author(s):  
Silvia Abad-Merino ◽  
John F. Dovidio ◽  
Carmen Tabernero ◽  
Ignacio González
Keyword(s):  
Gender Relations ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Behavior

Psychological research and theory have traditionally focused on bias and conflict between separate groups. Our central thesis is that the processes that shape hierarchical group relations within a society are distinctive and typically operate in ways that are frequently subtle rather than blatant. The challenges of detecting new subtle forms of bias are receiving considerable attention in the field of social psychology, internationally. Although explicit hostility toward minority groups seems to have faded in modern societies, cross-cultural data show that the status, resources, and the power of women and ethnic/racial minorities remain unequal. The present literature review integrates the findings of cross-cultural research showing the role of paternalistic legitimizing ideas and behavior for establishing, maintaining, and reinforcing group hierarchy and the disadvantage of members of traditionally underrepresented groups. Specifically, we explain how intergroup helping relations can be used as a mechanism to maintain social advantage in racial and gender relations. These theoretical and experimental insights help illuminate the dynamics of relations between socially linked groups and the nature of contemporary bias. We also highlight how this perspective suggests novel and productive directions for future research.

Comparative Law and the Europeanization of Private Law

2006 ◽  
pp. 538-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhard Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Law ◽  
European Court Of Justice ◽  
Private Law ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Third ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
European Court ◽  
Do So

The gradual emergence of a European private law is one of the most significant contemporary legal developments. Comparative law scholarship has played an important role in this process and will continue to do so. This article discusses the Europeanization of private law as a new and challenging task for comparative law. The second section considers the Europeanization of private law, describing the creation of the European Union and the role of the European Court of Justice. The third section discusses European legal scholarship. The fourth section cites the contributions of comparative law. The last two sections discuss current and future trends for the European private law.

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Metamotivational Beliefs About Regulatory Focus Task-Motivation Fit

2021 ◽  
pp. 014616722110254
Author(s):  
Tina Nguyen ◽  
Taku Togawa ◽  
Abigail A. Scholer ◽  
David B. Miele ◽  
Kentaro Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Know How ◽  
Task Motivation ◽  
Cultural Approach ◽  
Do So

Recent metamotivation research revealed that Westerners recognize that promotion versus prevention motivations benefit performance on eager versus vigilant tasks, respectively; that is, they know how to create task-motivation fit with respect to regulatory focus. Westerners also believe that, across tasks, promotion is more beneficial than prevention (i.e., a promotion bias). Adopting a cross-cultural approach, we examined whether beliefs about task-motivation fit generalize across cultures, whether Easterners exhibit a contrasting prevention bias, and the role of independence/interdependence in these beliefs. Results revealed cross-cultural similarities in metamotivational beliefs. Moreover, Easterners and Westerners alike often exhibited a promotion bias, suggesting that this effect may not be shaped by culture. One potential cultural difference did emerge: Easterners appeared to recognize how to create task-motivation fit for both independent and interdependent outcomes, whereas Westerners only recognized how to do so for independent outcomes. We discuss the role of culture in shaping metamotivation.

Disquieting experiences and conversation

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 864-877
Author(s):  
Lívia Mathias Simão
Keyword(s):  
Third Party ◽  
The Third ◽  
30Th Anniversary ◽  
Hermeneutic Inquiry ◽  
The Third Party ◽  
Other World ◽  
Do So

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Theory & Psychology, my aim in this article is to widen the discussion about one of the issues I consider foundational in the approach of I–other–world relations in subjectivation processes, that is to say, that of the disquieting experience, which we have been developing in the ambit of semiotic–cultural constructivism in psychology. First, I will make an exposition of the main aspects that characterise the notion of disquieting experience. I shall then seek to deepen some of the relations between disquieting experience, hermeneutic inquiry, and conversation. In order to do so, I will make use of articles published in Theory & Psychology that are fundamental to this deepening, due to leading us to the role of the third party in subjectivation processes.

scholarly journals The role of the novel in shaping a city’s imageand its choice as a tourist destination: The case of Łódź

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-53
Author(s):  
Bogdan Włodarczyk ◽  
Michał Duda
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
Negative Image ◽  
The Third ◽  
Home Location ◽  
Literary Tourism ◽  
Linear Modelling ◽  
The City ◽  
Do So

Abstract Following in the footsteps of one’s favourite literary characters has become a significant part of tourism. It remains unknown, however, how many readers decide to visit the places described in a book, or what factors determine their decision to do so. This issue was analysed using the example of Łódź, the third largest city in Poland, which struggles with a negative image. In contrast to the research on literary tourism conducted so far, a questionnaire was completed by readers and not by tourists visiting the places described. The readers remembered many real locations and had become familiar with the city’s topography. Some declared their reluctance to accept its stereotypically ‘bad’ image, while others were fascinated with its ‘unique atmosphere’. To many the city has become more familiar and a significant number of readers have changed their perception of it as a result. By means of linear modelling, several factors were established which encouraged readers to visit the city for tourism purposes. These factors included the size of the reader’s home location, changes of opinion, and the first impression the book made. This research project clearly points to the significant role of the novel in creating images of the places it depicts.

Traditional and Culture-Specific Parenting of Prosociality in US Latino/as

2019 ◽  
pp. 246-266
Author(s):  
Gustavo Carlo ◽  
L. Diego Conejo Bolanos
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fourth Section ◽  
The Third ◽  
Prosocial Development ◽  
Developmental Theories ◽  
History Of ◽  
Role Of Parents ◽  
Related Stress

This chapter provides an overview of theory and research on parenting and moral development in US Latino/a populations, including acculturation and enculturation, ethnic identity, and exposure and responses to discrimination and culture-related stress experiences. First, we briefly review traditional theories on the influence of parents in children’s prosocial development. Second, broad ecological and developmental theories that speak to the role of culture-related processes are covered. The third section presents a brief history of US Latino/as and highlights cultural values and characteristics relevant to understand the role of parents in US Latino/a children’s prosocial development. The fourth section presents an integrative cultural stress-based model of US Latino prosocial development and summarizes supporting research. Finally, the authors identify gaps in the existing literature and directions for future research.

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