Joseph A. Vandello

Patterns of individualism and collectivism across the United States.

Although the individualism-collectivism dimension is usually examined in a U.S. versus Asian context, there is variation within the United States. The authors created an eight-item index ranking states in terms of collectivist versus individualist tendencies. As predicted, collectivist tendencies were strongest in the Deep South, and individualist tendencies were strongest in the Mountain West and Great Plains. In Part 2, convergent validity for the index was obtained by showing that state collectivism scores predicted variation in individual attitudes, as measured by a national survey, In Part 3, the index was used to explore the relationship between individualism-collectivism and a variety of demographic, economic, cultural, and health-related variables. The index may be used to complement traditional measures of collectivism and individualism and may be of use to scholars seeking a construct to account for unique U.S. regional variation.

When You Call Me That, Smile! How Norms for Politeness, Interaction Styles, and Aggression Work Together in Southern Culture*

Norms for politeness may actually promote violence in the US. South. Whereas northerners may have behavioral rituals in which they give and receive small doses of hostility to regulate conflict, southerners seem not to. In two laboratory experiments, southerners were less clear than northerners in both sending and receiving signs of hostility. In Study 1, southerners initially showed little reaction to an annoying confederate only to end with bursts of anger far more sudden and more severe than northerners ever showed. In Study 2, as subjects watched objectively dangerous situations unfold, southerners were less sensitive to cues of hostility than were northerners. And in Study 3, consistent with southern politeness norms inhibiting effective conflict resolution, it was shown that friendly, helpful cities had different patterns of argumentrelated violence in the North and in the South. Results suggest a cycle in which norms for politeness and for violence can reinforce each other.

Precarious Manhood and Its Links to Action and Aggression

Unlike womanhood, manhood is widely viewed as a status that is elusive (it must be earned) and tenuous (it must be demonstrated repeatedly through actions). This focus on the structure—rather than the content—of gender roles can shed new light on men’s use of action and physical aggression. Here, we review theory and research connecting manhood, action, and aggression. We interpret men’s aggression and aggressive displays as behaviors that effectively demonstrate manhood and thus quell men’s concerns about their gender status. Moreover, we suggest that situational and cultural factors that heighten the precariousness of manhood also increase the likelihood of male aggression.

U.S. Southern and Northern Differences in Perceptions of Norms About Aggression Mechanisms for the Perpetuation of a Culture of Honor

This article explores one reason why norms for male honor-related aggression persist in the U.S. South, even though they may no longer be functional. The authors suggest that, in addition to cultural differences in internalized honor-related values, southerners are more likely than northerners to perceive peer endorsement of aggression norms. Study 1 found that southern males were especially likely to overestimate the aggressiveness of their peers. Study 2 tested the hypothesis that southerners would be more likely to actively encourage aggressive behavior in others, but no support was found. However, Study 3 found that southern men were more likely than northern men to perceive others as encouraging aggression when witnessing interpersonal conflicts. Together, these studies suggest that southern males are more likely than their northern counterparts to assume their peers endorse and enforce norms of aggression that can lead to the perpetuation of norms for honorable violence above and beyond any differences in internalized values.

Stand by Your Man Indirect Prescriptions for Honorable Violence and Feminine Loyalty in Canada, Chile, and the United States

Cultural values emphasizing female loyalty, sacrifice, and male honor may indirectly sanction relationship violence and reward women who remain in abusive relationships. Two studies compare participants from subcultures emphasizing honor (Latinos and southern Anglos in Study 1, Chileans in Study 2) and subcultures without strong honor traditions (northern U.S. Anglos in Study 1, Anglo-Canadians in Study 2). In Study 1, participants watch a videotape of a woman describing an abusive relationship. Participants from honor cultures are relatively more favorable to the woman if she stays in the relationship, compared to northerners. In Study 2, Chilean and Canadian students listen to audiotapes of a husband describing a violent conflict with his wife. Chileans rate the husband and his actions more positively than Canadians do when the conflict is jealousy related (perceived flirting), but no cultural differences are found when the conflict is unrelated to jealousy (spending too much money).

When believing is seeing: Sustaining norms of violence incultures of honor

Contents: M. Schaller, L.G. Conway, C.S. Crandall, The Psychological Foundations of Culture: An Introduction. Part I:How Cultures Emerge at All. S. Solomon, J. Greenberg, J. Schimel, J. Arndt, T. Pyszczynski, Human Awareness of Mortality and the Evolution of Culture. H.C. Harton, M.J. Bourgeois, Cultural Elements Emerge From Dynamic Social Impact. I.Y-M. Lau, S-L. Lee, C-Y. Chiu, Language, Cognition, and Reality: Constructing Shared Meanings Through Communication. L. Richter, A.W. Kruglanski, Motivated Closed Mindedness and the Emergence of Culture. Part II:How Specific Cultural Norms Arise. D. Krebs, M. Janicki, Biological Foundations of Moral Norms. A. Norenzayan, S. Atran, Cognitive and Emotional Processes in the Cultural Transmission of Natural and Nonnatural Beliefs. H. Arrow, K.L. Burns, Self-Organizing Culture: How Norms Emerge in Small Groups. C.S. Crandall, M. Schaller, Scientists and Science: How Individual Goals Shape Collective Norms. Part III:How Cultures Persist and Change Over Time. A. McIntyre, A. Lyons, A. Clark, Y. Kashima, The Microgenesis of Culture: Serial Reproduction as an Experimental Simulation of Cultural Dynamics. D.A. Prentice, E. Carranza, Sustaining Cultural Beliefs in the Face of Their Violation: The Case of Gender Stereotypes. J.A. Vandello, D. Cohen, When Believing Is Seeing: Sustaining Norms of Violence in Cultures of Honor. S.J. Heine, D.R. Lehman, Move the Body: Change the Self: Acculturative Effects on the Self-Concept. G. Adams, H.R. Markus, Epilogue: Toward a Conception of Culture Suitable for a Social Psychology of Culture.

Meanings of violence

Cultures vary tremendously in how they understand violence. We discuss white southern and northern culture in the United States to illustrate the different meanings cultures ascribe to violence and honor. We argue that (1) Southerners understand the meaning of insults differently than Northerners do. (2) They have behavioral rituals that make allowances for this understanding. And (3) they live within social structures and systems that perpetuate these “culture‐of‐honor” meanings and ideologies. Laboratory experiments, field experiments, surveys, analyses of laws, and records of homicide rates are reviewed. Also, we discuss the legacy of slavery, which legitimized forms of coercive and punitive violence over and above violence legitimized by a culture of honor. Southern violence cannot be understood simply as deviance and lawlessness. Rather, it is a product of a coherent meaning system defining the self, honor, rituals for conflict, and tools that may be used when order is disrupted.

MIXED MOTIVES AND RACIAL BIAS The Impact of Legitimate and Illegitimate Criteria on Decision Making

Recent high-profile court rulings addressing the influence of illegitimate information—such as race—on decision making have highlighted the difficulty of establishing whether and when discrimination has occurred. One factor complicating such efforts is that decision makers are often simultaneously influenced by racial and nonracial information. The authors examined the psychological processes underlying such mixed-motive decision making, demonstrating how legitimate information can be manipulated to justify preferences based on illegitimate factors such as race. Study 1 showed that Black candidates were favored over White candidates in hypothetical college admissions decisions, although participants justified their decisions using nonracial information, and further showed that participants’ levels of prejudice predicted both which candidate was chosen and how those choices were justified. Study 2 demonstrated that these justifications were not simply strategic and post hoc but also occurred as a natural part of the process of evaluating candidates. Discussion focuses on policy and legal implications for employment discrimination, affirmative action, and courtroom proceedings.

The Advantage of Disadvantage: Underdogs in the Political Arena

Political candidates are often labeled as underdogs, either by the press or themselves. This paper explores connotations associated with the underdog label in the political arena. We argue that being labeled an underdog has a strategic advantage because it is associated with positive qualities, particularly likeability. The current studies demonstrate that partisan supporters prefer to see their favored candidate as an underdog compared to people not aligned with the candidate, and underdog-labeled entities are perceived to be warmer, and no less competent, than frontrunners. Discussion focuses on the advantages and risks of carrying the underdog label in the political arena.

Beyond Work-Life “Integration”

Research on the work-family interface began in the 1960s and has grown exponentially ever since. This vast amount of research, however, has had relatively little impact on workplace practice, and work-family conflict is at an all-time high. We review the work-family research to date and propose that a shift of attention is required, away from the individual experience of work and family and toward understanding how identity and status are defined at work. Several factors enshrine cherished identities around current workplace norms. The work devotion schema demands that those who are truly committed to their work will make it the central or sole focus of their lives, without family demands to distract them. Importantly, the work devotion schema underwrites valued class and gender identities: Work devotion is a key way of enacting elite class status and functions as the measure of a man--the longer the work hours and higher the demand for his attention, the better. Advocating change in the way work is done and life is lived meets resistance because it places these cherished identities at risk. Resistance to these identity threats keeps current workplace norms in place. This is why even the business case-which shows that current practices are not economically efficient-fails to persuade organizations to enact change. What is needed now is sustained attention to the implicit psychological infrastructure that cements the mismatch between todays workplace and todays workforce.