Motivational Underpinnings of Honor Ideology: Prevention Focus, Honor Endorsement, and Honor-Based System Justification / Fundamentos motivacionales de la ideología del honor: enfoque en la prevención, defensa de los códigos de honor y justificación

Honor ideologies are sustained by gendered cultural systems, yet their motivational underpinnings remain understudied. Drawing on Regulatory Focus Theory (Crowe & Higgins, 1997) and System Justification Theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994), this study examined (1) whether prevention-focused self-regulation is associated with honor endorsement and honor-based system justification in Türkiye, an honor culture context, and (2) whether these associations vary by gender. Participants were 461 undergraduate students (256 women, 205 men; M age = 20.45, SD = 1.73). Results indicated that prevention focus was positively associated with both honor endorsement and honor-based system justification. Although men justified the honor system and endorsed honor beliefs more, gender did not moderate the association between prevention focus and honor-related beliefs. Mediation analyses showed that honor endorsement statistically accounted for the association between prevention focus and honor-based system justification, although alternative ordering models also yielded significant indirect effects. Findings highlighted prevention-focused self-regulation as a motivational correlate of both internalization and legitimization of honor norms, along with the conceptual proximity of honor-related constructs.