Are virtues national, supranational, or universal?
Jan Pieter van Oudenhoven1, Boele de Raad1, Marieke E Timmerman1
1Department of Psychology Grote Kruisstraat, University of Groningen, Groningen 2/1, Kragujevac, 9712 TS Netherlands.
Springerplus
|May 24, 2014
Summary
Cultural differences significantly impact the perceived importance of virtues across nations. While some virtues like honesty and kindness are universal, others like generosity show national specificity.
Area of Science:
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Social science research
Background:
- Cultural values extensively studied (Hofstede, Schwarz).
- Virtues, a related concept, less explored cross-culturally.
- Understanding national differences in virtue importance is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine cross-national similarities and differences in perceived virtue importance.
- Investigate if cultural blocks of nations share similar virtue perceptions.
- Identify universal versus country-specific virtues.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 2,809 students from 14 countries (US, Mexico, Europe, Asia).
- Free-listing and rating of 15 key virtues.
- Statistical analyses: Correspondence Analysis, MANOVA, ANOVA.
Main Results:
- Significant relationships found between nations/cultural blocks and virtue importance.
- Some virtues are country-specific (e.g., generosity in France).
- Universal virtues identified, including honesty, respect, and kindness.
Conclusions:
- National and cultural contexts shape the perceived importance of virtues.
- Virtue perception is influenced by cultural relatedness.
- Honesty, respect, and kindness emerge as widely shared virtues globally.
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