Understanding Aggression of Members of Israeli Cultural Sub Groups Through the Lens of Cultural Values of Honor and Dignity

Offensive events are not objective states; viewing an interpersonal event as offensive relies on one’s interpretation of others’ behavior as illegitimate. This interpretation is critical, as it frequently provokes aggressive acts. We suggest that one’s membership in a cultural sub-group influences which events may be perceived as violating core values and therefore determines which events are viewed as illegitimate or offensive. The research described here assesses the tendency of people holding cultural values of honor and dignity to act with various aggressive behaviors, and the way that members of different cultural sub-groups and people reporting different values react to potentially offensive events. Data was collected from 81 undergraduate students representing a diverse sample of members of Israeli society. Analyses are conducted using repeated measures, and are analyzed both at the cultural sub-group and individual respondent level, affording a complete understanding of the relationship between culture, values and aggression. Results show a significant influence of belonging to a cultural sub-group on espousing values of honor and dignity and on perception of events where cultural values are violated as illegitimate. The research provides a novel and important perspective into understanding how aggression is construed by members of different cultural sub-groups