Social representations of the individual are examined in three post‐Communist Central European nations, i.e. the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and in three West European nations, i.e. Scotland, England and France. All six nations share a common European history since the Renaissance and Humanism, based on such values as freedom, agency, individual rights and individual responsibility. Many of these values were rejected by the Communist regimes in which people lived for 40 years. Extreme forms of individualism developed in certain West European nations during the same period. In view of these historical events we have asked the following questions: Do people in the post‐Communist countries of Central Europe, after 40 years of totalitarian collectivism, still adhere to the values of the common European heritage? What is the meaning of ‘the individual’ today, in Western democracies and in Central European post‐Communist nations? Which issues are important for the well‐being of the individual and how do they relate to the political and economic circumstances of those individuals? The results show that the values of the common European heritage in Central Europe have not been destroyed and that factors relating to the well‐being of the individual differ between the two parts of Europe. These data are discussed in terms of the political and economic situations in Central and Western Europe, the relationship between language and social representations and the structure of social representations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We validate, extend, and empirically and theoretically criticize the cultural dimension of humane orientation of the project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program). Theoretically, humane orientation is not just a one-dimensionally positive concept about being caring, altruistic, and kind to others as discussed by Kabasakal and Bodur (2004), but there is also a certain ambivalence to this concept. We suggest differentiating humane orientation toward in-group members from humane orientation toward out-group members. A multicountry construct validation study used student samples from 25 countries that were either high or low in humane orientation (N = 876) and studied their relation to the traditional GLOBE scale and other cultural-level measures (agreeableness, religiosity, authoritarianism, and welfare state score). Findings revealed a strong correlation between humane orientation and agreeableness, welfare state score, and religiosity. Out-group humane orientation proved to be the more relevant subfacet of the original humane orientation construct, suggesting that future research on humane orientation should make use of this measure instead of the vague original scale. The ambivalent character of out-group humane orientation is displayed in its positive correlation to high authoritarianism. Patriotism was used as a control variable for noncritical acceptance of one’s society but did not change the correlations. Our findings are discussed as an example of how rigid expectations and a lack of tolerance for diversity may help explain the ambivalent nature of humane orientation.
Résumé Dans cet article on s’interroge sur l’actualité et l’intérêt de la distinction classique entre processus centrés sur la tâche et processus centrés sur le groupe. Après avoir rappelé ce que recouvre cette distinction, on évoque les phénomènes qu’elle contribue classiquement à éclairer. Puis on cherche à expliquer la relative amnésie des chercheurs à propos de cette distinction. Ensuite on fait le constat que les traces de cette distinction sont cependant présentes dans certaines des théories qui stimulent aujourd’hui la recherche en psychologie sociale. Enfin on conclut sur l’importance de donner à la psychologie sociale la dimension d’historicité qui lui manque en dévoilant la filiation des idées et en assumant clairement quand ils existent les liens de continuité entre les anciennes et les nouvelles approches.
In this article we discuss a number of objectives we consider important for improving graduate training. In addition, we propose several methods by which each objective may be attained. The suggestions are geared toward Francophone universities in Europe (including France, Belgium, and Switzerland) and their particular constraints, but they may prove useful for colleagues in other countries as well. First, we discuss how doctoral students can receive top-quality training in order to acquire the knowledge specific to the demands of a future university professor and researcher. Next, we develop more general objectives, including the development of a broad view of the discipline and the acquisition of skills such as the ability to write and publish scientific articles. We also emphasize the involvement of graduate students in professional activities and the necessity of developing close contacts with members of the broader scientific community. Finally, we discuss the selection of and the financial support for graduate students.
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