Intersubjective norms: Cultural and interpersonal perspective
Abstract
Normative perspectives in cultural psychology provide a fresh view to understand the processes of cultural influence on human behavior. Although much of the existing research focuses on individuals’ internalized personal values and beliefs to explain cultural tendencies, the new perspective proposes perceived intersubjective norms as an alternative key component in cultural influence (Chiu, Gelfand, Yamagishi, Shteynberg, & Wan, 2010; Zou et al., 2009). Extending this newly emerging approach, the lead articles in this special issue address some of the important questions and issues of normative perspectives in cultural psychology. The articles provide useful explanations for why individuals vary in the degree to which they acquire and engage in culturally normative behaviors. In particular, Gelfand and Harrington (2015) point to three core motivational forces—managing (a) uncertainty and threat, (b) reputation, and (c) low interpersonal power—that motivate individuals to follow descriptive norms. Morris and Liu (2015) discuss psychological functions that normative/counternormative behaviors serve, such as decreasing insecurity and defending identity. Finally, Tam (2015) applies the normative perspectives to cultural transmission, suggesting the factors that