Perceptions of social responsibilities in India and in the United States: moral imperatives or personal decisions?

Indian and American adults' and children's (N = 400) moral reasoning about hypothetical situations in which an agent failed to help someone experiencing either life-threatening, moderately serious, or minor need was compared. For 1/3 of Ss, the agent's relationship to the needy other...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of personality and social psychology Vol. 58; no. 1; p. 33
Main Authors Miller, J G, Bersoff, D M, Harwood, R L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.1990
Subjects
Adult
Child
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Decision Making
Female
Humans
India
Male
Morals
Personality Development
Social Perception
Social Responsibility
Social Values
United States
United States
India
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Summary:Indian and American adults' and children's (N = 400) moral reasoning about hypothetical situations in which an agent failed to help someone experiencing either life-threatening, moderately serious, or minor need was compared. For 1/3 of Ss, the agent's relationship to the needy other was portrayed as that of parent; for another 1/3, as that of best friend; for the rest, as that of stranger. Indians tended to regard the failure to aid another in moral terms in all conditions. In contrast, Americans tended to view it in moral terms only in life-threatening cases or in cases of parents responding to the moderately serious needs of their children. The results imply that Indian culture forwards a broader and more stringent view of social responsibilities than does American culture. Discussion centers on theoretical implications of the various cultural, need, role, and developmental effects observed.
ISSN:0022-3514
1939-1315
DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.58.1.33