The Influence of Individualism-Collectivism Cultural Orientation on Moral Judgment

文化心理学提出道德的一部分由社会和文化来解释。以往的研究中发现不同的个人主义–集体主义文化中道德判断有差异，个人主义文化中更加宽容，集体主义文化则更严苛。全球化进程增加了人们与不同文化的接触和互动，并发现同一个体中可以同时存在集体主义和个人主义文化取向，即双高文化取向。因而本研究采用实验法激活被试的文化取向(双高、高集体、高个人)，考察其对道德判断的影响。研究结果表明：(1) 不同文化取向类型在高尚道德判断上存在显著差异。在进行高尚道德行为的赞赏判断时，个人主义和集体主义双高取向的个体相比于高个人取向的个体赞赏程度更高；(2) 不同文化取向类型显著影响不道德行为判断：相比于高个人取向的个体，双高取向的个体更难以接受不道德行为。Cultural psychology posits that morality is partially shaped by social and cultural contexts. Previous studies have identified divergent moral judgments across individualistic and collectivistic cultures: individuals in individualistic cultures tend to exhibit more lenient moral evaluations, whereas those in collectivistic cultures demonstrate stricter standards. Globalization has intensified intercultural interactions, leading to the emergence of individuals who simultaneously internalize both cultural orientations—termed the dual-high cultural orientation. To investigate this phenomenon, the present study experimentally primed participants’ cultural orientations (dual-high, high collectivism, high individualism) and examined their impact on moral judgment. Key findings include:(1) Admirable moral judgments: Significant differences emerged across cultural orientation types. Individuals with dual-high orientations demonstrated stronger admiration for morally admirable behaviors compared to those with high individualism. (2) Immoral behavior judgments: Dual-high oriented individuals exhibited significantly lower acceptance of immoral behaviors than their high-individualism counterparts.