Investigating Cultural Beliefs, Socioeconomics, and Aggressive Tendencies

Abstract

Understanding the cultural differences in aggression remains a challenge (Fry, 1998; Gallardo-Pujol et al., 2019). Socioeconomic status, cultural beliefs, and societal norms have been identified as possible influences on aggressive behavior (Cohen et al., 1996; Greitemeyer & Sagioglou, 2018). This study attempted to identify any significant relationships between endorsed cultural constructs (i.e., face, dignity, and honor culture), socioeconomics, and aggression through a survey research design. A survey was administered to 124 adults electronically and collected demographic information, ascribed cultural norms (honor, face, and dignity), and levels of aggression (via the Aggression Questionnaire Short Form). Honor cultural logic was significantly associated with overall aggression score (p = 0.007), physical aggression score (p = 0.001), and verbal aggression score (p = 0.02), while Dignity was associated with hostility score (p =0.009). When controlling for household income and perceived socioeconomic status (SES), Honor remained significantly associated with overall aggression, physical aggression, and verbal aggression (p = 0.02). Dignity remained significantly associated with hostility (p = 0.005). When controlling for gender and assessing the interaction between gender and honor cultural logic, Honor was no longer associated with any of the measures of aggression. Subjective SES was found to have moderate negative correlations with overall aggression score (r = -0.31, p = 0.0004), physical aggression (r= -0.22, p = .02), and hostility (r = -0.29, p = .001). No significant relationships were observed between other aggression scores and measures of SES (i.e., subjective social status and household income) or between culture logics and either measure of SES.