Psychological Aspects of Social Axioms : Understanding Global Belief Systems

"This work provides ways to characterize cultures, and gives researchers a set of lenses for looking at cultures. When researchers know what people value and how they use the axioms, they can predict what people will do in their cultural niche - how they are likely to interact with each other, how they are likely to relate to outsiders, how they are going to react to their jobs, what emotions they are likely to feel in different circumstances, and how are they going to deal with conflict." -- Harry C. Triandis, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Illinois, U.S.A. Positive and negative beliefs about human nature and the social world, the role of fate in life events, and the belief in the existence of a supreme being: social axioms as general beliefs exist both explicitly and implicitly in cultural values and traditions the world over. In **Psychological Aspects of Social Axioms**, an international team of researchers brings new depth to the study of these culture-bound belief systems as they inform interpersonal and organizational behavior, are passed from parents to children and sustained by social institutions, and contribute to both national character and individual personality. The editors offer an insightful introduction to the social axiom framework and its basic issues, introducing studies from a variety of countries that explore the influence of these widespread beliefs as humans solve problems, pursue goals, and make sense of their lives. A sampling of the topics: * Transmission of social axioms during times of social change (Germany, Spain). * Social axioms and behavior of college students (India, Indonesia). * Relationships between axioms and locus of control (Italy, Greece). * Proactive coping in Christians and Muslims. * Cynicism in romantic and political relationships. * Social axioms in the U.S.: ethnic and geographic studies. With its groundbreaking constructs for intercultural understanding, **Psychological Aspects of Social Axioms** will find a wide and interested audience in cultural and clinical psychologists, cross-cultural trainers and educators. The book will also provide upper-level students in psychology and cultural studies with new directions for future research. Cover......Page p0001.djvu International and Cultural Psychology Series......Page p0003.djvu Psychological Aspectsof Social Axioms: Understanding Global Belief Systems......Page p0004.djvu Foreword......Page p0006.djvu Contents......Page p0008.djvu Editors......Page p0011.djvu Contributors......Page p0012.djvu Introduction......Page p0020.djvu The Mileage from Social Axioms: Learning\rfrom the Past and Looking Forward......Page p0029.djvu Social Axioms and Organizational Behavior......Page p0047.djvu Structural Equivalence and Differential Item\rFunctioning in the Social Axioms Survey......Page p0067.djvu Exploring Ethnic Group and Geographic\rDifferences in Social Axioms in the USA......Page p0097.djvu Social Axioms among Malay, Chinese,\rand Kadazan Students in Sabah, Malaysia:\rDifferences in Gender and Ethnic Groups......Page p0110.djvu Are Parents Decisive? The Intergenerational\rTransmission of Social Axioms Under\rConditions of Rapid Social Change......Page p0122.djvu Processes of Transmission and Change\rof Social Axioms and their Behavioral\rInfluence in Spanish Culture......Page p0141.djvu Linking Social Axioms with Behavioral\rIndicators and Personality in Romania......Page p0154.djvu Exploring the Links between Social Axioms\rand the Epistemological Beliefs about\rLearning held by Filipino Students......Page p0172.djvu An Examination of Proactive Coping\rand Social Beliefs among Christians\rand Muslims......Page p0185.djvu Social Axioms in Greece: Etic and Emic\rDimensions and their Relationships\rwith Locus of Control......Page p0205.djvu Do General Beliefs Predict Specific\rBehavioral Intentions in Indonesia?\rThe Role of Social Axioms within\rthe Theory of Planned Behavior......Page p0225.djvu Cynicism in Love and in Politics......Page p0247.djvu Social Axioms in Italian Culture:\rRelationships with Locus of Control\rand Moral Development......Page p0276.djvu Social Axioms and Individualistic–Collectivist\rOrientations in Indian College Students......Page p0290.djvu Explaining Individuating Behavior\rAcross Cultures: The Contributions\rof Values and Social Axioms......Page p0300.djvu Believing in Beliefs: A Scientific\rbut Personal Quest......Page p0323.djvu Index......Page p0346.djvu

while Value-based Frameworks Have Offered Revealing Insights About Culture, Other Conceptual Tools Need To Be Explored And Deployed For A Comprehensive Understanding Of Both Culture And Individuals And How Culture Shapes Individual Processes And Outcomes. To Achieve This End, The Authors And Editors Of Psychological Aspects Of Social Axioms Propose The Construct Of Social Axioms To Augment Values In Interpreting Culture And The Behavior Of Individuals In Their Cultural Contexts. Social Axioms Are Defined As Generalized Beliefs About Oneself, Other People, The Social Environment, Or The Spiritual And Physical World, And Are Central To A Person’s Belief System. Their Function Is To Enhance The Survival And Functioning Of The Person In His/her Social And Physical Environment.

the Editors Identify Five Axiom Dimensions That Form The Construct:

• social Cynicism, Defined As A Negative Assessment Of Human Nature And A Mistrust Of Social Institutions
• social Complexity, Which Is A Belief That There Are Multiple Ways Of Achieving A Given Outcome And That A Given Person’s Behavior May Be Inconsistent From Situation To Situation
• reward For Application, Which Is The Expectation That Effort, Knowledge, Careful Planning And The Investment Of These And Other Resources Will Lead To Positive Results
• religiosity, The Belief Of The Existence Of A Supernatural Being And The Beneficial Social Functions Of Religious Institutions And Practices
• fate Control, The Idea That Life Events Are Pre-determined By Grand External Forces, But That There Are Some Ways For People To Influence The Impact Of These Forces

Humans are surrounded by trillions of stimuli. Their eyes, for instance, can discriminate 7,500,000 colors. But, there is a severe limitation in the number of discriminably different stimuli that they can process at one time. George Miller argued that they can handle no more than seven, plus or minus two independent pieces of information at any given time. Thus, necessarily they must develop ways to simplify the task of processing the information that exists in their environment. They do this in many ways. One way is to select the stimuli that are most imp- tant in their lives, what are often called values. Another way is to chunk stimuli by linking them to each other, so they form bundles of stimuli that can be processed as if they are one entity. Generalized expectancies of what is linked with what are beliefs, and these beliefs are structured into bundles (see Triandis, 1972). Social axioms are defined as generalized beliefs about oneself, other people, the social environment, or the spiritual and physical world, and are central to a person's belief system. This book proposes the construct of social axioms to augment values in interpreting culture and the behavior of individuals in their cultural contexts.