Throughout history and within numerous disciplines, there exists a perennial debate about how societies should best be organized. Should they emphasize individual freedom and autonomy or security and ...constraint? Contrary to proponents who tout the benefits of one over the other, we demonstrate across 32 nations that both freedom and constraint exhibit a curvilinear relationship with many indicators of societal well-being. Relative to moderate nations, very permissive and very constrained nations exhibit worse psychosocial outcomes (lower happiness, greater dysthymia, higher suicide rates), worse health outcomes (lower life expectancy, greater mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and diabetes) and poorer economic and political outcomes (lower gross domestic product per capita, greater risk for political instability). This supports the notion that a balance between freedom and constraint results in the best national outcomes. Accordingly, it is time to shift the debate away from either constraint or freedom and focus on both in moderation.
Belief in a Zero-Sum Game as a Social Axiom Różycka-Tran, Joanna; Boski, Paweł; Wojciszke, Bogdan
Journal of cross-cultural psychology,
05/2015, Letnik:
46, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This article introduces a novel concept, Belief in a Zero-Sum Game (BZSG), proposed as another belief dimension in the family of social axioms. We conceptualize BZSG as a belief system about the ...antagonistic nature of social relations—that one person’s gain is possible only at the expense of other persons. It appears on a level of personal convictions and as a cultural worldview ideology. We found that persons or nations who believe in a zero-sum game engage in win-lose social exchanges over limited resources. Psychometric evidence for the universality of the BZSG scale in a large pancultural project of 37 nations is presented, where individual and cultural-level predictors of BZSG were tested, followed by their multilevel analyses. BZSG, which shows a conceptual and empirical affinity with societal cynicism, is moderated by previously described cultural dimensions and by objective socio-economic indices.
This article introduces a psychology of economic immigration as a field complementary to but separate from research on acculturation. A theoretical model of psychological disharmony is outlined, ...where hard work and thrift become the crucial elements of immigrant condition. Three studies are reported. Studies 1 and 2 were conducted among Polish immigrants in Ireland. These studies addressed personality comparisons between immigrants and nonimmigrant samples (Study 1: peer observations) and immigrant self-perceived changes (Study 2). Adaptive personality changes did occur as hypothesized, particularly in the domain of conscientiousness, which regulates work-related activities. This finding was restricted in Study 2 to a prospective time frame (change measured with time flow). Study 2 introduced four lifestyles: eudaimonia, hedonism, self-sacrifice, and alienation. Prospective change in conscientiousness favored eudaimonic lifestyle, but retrospective change predicted self-sacrifice. Participants in Study 3 were Eastern Slav and Vietnamese immigrants in Poland. Based on previous work on Confucian work dynamism, it was expected that Vietnamese would demonstrate greater work involvement, eudaimonic lifestyle, and thrift, compared to Slav immigrants. These hypotheses were confirmed, showing that within the general model of immigrant adaptation, there is room for cultural differences.
Integration is the crucial concept in psychology of acculturation. Yet, it has been loosely defined in the literature and there is no theory of intercultural psychological integration. Upon careful ...examination of research findings, at least five different meanings of integration emerge. Most known among them is Berry's approach, which considers and measures integration in terms of attitudinal preferences for biculturalism. Four other belong to cultural psychology and refer to: culture perception and evaluation; functional/partial specialization; identity and frame switching; and ethno-relativist constructive marginality. Empirical evidence shows that these are separate, and sometimes negatively correlated constructs. This paper is the first step attempt towards a theoretical model of integration in which all the five meanings are positioned as in depth directed layers of the bicultural psyche.
The study investigates the factors related to Ukrainian nationals’ engagement or disengagement with Russian culture amid Russian-Ukrainian war. It explores the predictors of both continued engagement ...and reasons for terminating interaction, considering demographic, emotional, and circumstantial factors. A cross-sectional correlational design was used, involving 935 participants (305 continuing and 630 ceasing interaction with Russian culture). Participants completed questionnaires and detailed their engagement with Russian culture across various cultural items. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were conducted for analysis. The study found that factors like spoken language and coping strategies play a significant role in the decision to cut cultural ties. For those continuing interaction, language and emotional attachment were influential, alongside practical necessities like work/study requirements and the absence of Ukrainian alternatives. The study highlights a complex interplay of emotion, language, and age in shaping Ukrainians’ interaction with Russian culture during the war. It suggests future research should include additional sociopolitical and sociocultural factors, and a broader demographic representation to gain more nuanced perspectives.
To investigate the moderating effect of cultural diversity on team performance in professional football worldwide through the lens of ecological dynamics and cross-cultural psychology.
and Method: ...Based a sample of 23,186 matches played by 728 teams across 45 leagues during the 2020/21 season, two sets of moderated regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect on sporting results of the interaction between teams’ cultural diversity, their dominant playing style and market value. In addition to bivariate correlations, a total of 16 ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models were designed to test 5 hypotheses. A new theoretical model, the Integrative Categorization-Intentionality Model (ICIM), was proposed to explain four key findings.
CDI’s role as a statistically significant cross-cultural moderator was confirmed in relation to all three styles of play: possession-based (ß = −0.08, p < 0.05), constructive attacking (ß = −0.30, p < 0.01), and defensive (ß = 0.28, p < 0.05), the respective models explaining 35.6%, 34% and 35% of the variance. Results showed that cultural heterogeneity contributes to goal scoring in teams reliant on the first two styles, whilst defensively-oriented teams were more likely to improve performance with increasing cultural homogeneity. Moreover, the positive effect of cultural heterogeneity on sporting outcomes was more likely in less affluent teams. Finally, empirical evidence revealed a link between enhanced performance and a higher proportion of domestic defensive players in defensively oriented teams (ß = −0.11, p < 0.05), and, similarly, between a higher proportion of foreign offensive players in offensively-oriented teams (ß = −0.27, p < 0.01).
The study has practical implications for scouting/recruitment of players when strategizing on team cultural and functional composition, as well as for coaches in terms of designing suitable training practices gauged to match and develop multicultural teams’ diverse skill set, or more generally, in relation to managing multicultural teams.
•Findings are based on a sample of 23,186 matches played by 728 professional football teams across 45 leagues worldwide.•Wealthier teams perform better as their cultural homogeneity increases; the reverse is true for less affluent teams.•Cultural heterogeneity contributes to goal scoring in teams reliant on possession-based and constructive attacking styles.•Defensively-oriented teams are more likely to improve performance with increasing cultural homogeneity.•The Integrative Categorization-Intentionality Model (ICIM) explains the moderating effect of CDI on playing styles.
With data from 33 nations, we illustrate the differences between cultures that are tight (have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior) versus loose (have weak social norms and a ...high tolerance of deviant behavior). Tightness-looseness is part of a complex, loosely integrated multilevel system that comprises distal ecological and historical threats (e.g., high population density, resource scarcity, a history of territorial conflict, and disease and environmental threats), broad versus narrow socialization in societal institutions (e.g., autocracy, media regulations), the strength of everyday recurring situations, and micro-level psychological affordances (e.g., prevention self-guides, high regulatory strength, need for structure). This research advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.
Cross-cultural studies focusing on individuation and parent-child relationships during late adolescence in the European context are sparse. This study investigated relationships between maternal and ...paternal responsiveness, demandingness and autonomy granting and late adolescents’ subjective well-being in Greece, Norway, Poland, and Switzerland. Additionally, the role of psychological, functional, and financial aspects of adolescents’ individuation in these relationships were assessed. Late adolescents (18–20-years-old,
N
= 745) reported on their parents’ behaviors and themselves. Structural models with latent constructs were applied to test the hypothesized relationships. Results showed that in all four countries, maternal and paternal autonomy granting and responsiveness were positively associated with adolescents’ well-being. No significant results were found for demandingness. Further, the study found that psychological and functional connectedness with mothers and financial connectedness with fathers partially explained the associations between parenting behaviors and adolescents’ well-being. The results indicate more similarities than differences across Europe in the associations between parenting on late adolescents’ outcomes. More importantly, the study points out that maternal and paternal parenting may play different roles in late adolescence.
This paper reports three studies on Polish - German and Polish - Russian relations in the context of their difficult history (World War 2 and communist oppression), as well as process of ...reconciliation between the nations. The paper addressed questions and hypotheses on mechanisms responsible for constructive coping with the past, through apologies by the perpetrators and forgiveness on the side of their former victims. Bilateral relations with Poland's' neighbors had opposite trajectories after World War 2. In case of Germans, initial hostility was slowly transformed into friendship and cooperation in European Union and NATO . At the same time, reparations to victims of the Nazi were paid by Germany. Based on earlier literature it has been hypothesized that their apology, if seen as genuine, will facilitate forgiveness and dissociate intergroup forgiveness from perception of ingroup harm. The opposite trajectory characterizes Polish - Russian bilateral relations, where communist rule and oppression were depicted as friendship. We hypothesized that such situation would lead to cynicism and thus hinder forgiveness and empathy. Research findings (Study 1) reflect these developments: Germans are seen as more remorseful and are more forgiven than Russians. In order to inspect the relationship between remorse and forgiveness, a study that followed an experimental design was conducted. Its results suggest that the effect of apologies and their sincerity was found in study 2 as facilitating factors to forgiveness felt by Poles' also, the impact of the magnitude of harm was buffered by these conciliatory moves by German leaders. Study 3 concerned a situation of insincere reconciliation in Polish-Russian relations. Results show that such situation leads to cynicism and inhibits forgiveness, as well as compassion toward victims from the other nation.
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