Collectivism and the meaning of suffering.

Abstract

People need to understand why an instance of suffering occurred and what purpose it might have. One widespread account of suffering is a repressive suffering construal (RSC): interpreting suffering as occurring because people deviate from social norms and as having the purpose of reinforcing the social order. Based on the theorizing of Emile Durkheim and others, we propose that RSC is associated with social morality-the belief that society dictates morality-and is encouraged by collectivist (as opposed to individualist) sentiments. Study 1 showed that dispositional collectivism predicts both social morality and RSC. Studies 2-4 showed that priming collectivist (vs. individualist) self-construal increases RSC of various types of suffering and that this effect is mediated by increased social morality (Study 4). Study 5 examined behavioral intentions, demonstrating that parents primed with a collectivist self-construal interpreted children's suffering more repressively and showed greater support for corporal punishment of children.

A World of Blame to Go Around: Cross-Cultural Determinants of Responsibility and Punishment Judgments

“…Growing up in a social world characterized by role obligations, social intricacy, and cooperation (i.e., collectivistic culture) places attention outside of oneself and toward the social world (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). From this, collectivists are more likely to focus on and value social harmony and group cohesion, whereas individualists are more likely to value individual rights (Nisbett et al, 2001; Sullivan, Landau, Kay, & Rothschild, 2012; Sullivan et al, 2016).…”

From guilt-oriented to uncertainty-oriented culture: Nietzsche and Weber on the history of theodicy.

“…Supporting this notion, Sullivan, Landau, Kay, and Rothschild (2012) demonstrated in four studies that experimentally priming individuals with collectivist (as opposed to individualist) sentiments increases their tendency to interpret suffering as evidence of the sufferer's moral culpability.…”

Shame, Suffering, and Believing in the Family: The Experiences of Grandmothers of a Grandchild With a Developmental Delay or Disability in the Context of Chinese Culture

“…All grandmothers in this study practiced folk religions and rituals as a means of trying to restore their grandchild's health and lessen their suffering. Religion can explain and give meaning to one's suffering and misfortune (Chen et al, 2012;D. Sullivan et al, 2012).…”