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Introduction to Social Psychological Approaches to Responsibility and Justice: The View Across Cultures

NCJ Number
140826
Journal
International Journal of Psychology Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1992) Pages: 137-142
Author(s)
V L Hamilton
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article presents a broad outline of papers presented at the 22nd International Congress of Applied Psychology held in Kyoto, Japan on July 25, 1990; identifies common themes in the papers; and discusses what is significant about the body of work as a whole.
Abstract
Two substantive themes pervade the papers. The first is a concern with cross-cultural research itself and especially with the issue of what variables must be taken into account in the search for cross-cultural uniformities and divergences in psychological functioning. Each paper touches on the applicability of psychologists' laws and concepts across cultures, either in general or in specific reference to individualism-collectivism. The second theme in all the papers is an interest in issues of responsibility and justice, which are at the core of moral and legal thought and action. Regarding responsibility attribution and self- evaluation after transgression, three papers on these themes provide evidence that the evaluation of a moral wrong is a culturally textured event. Three papers that address issues of justice consider the problem of distributive justice (how resources are to be allocated) and the problem of procedural justice (how justice dilemmas are to be resolved). Each of the papers invites further research that addresses unresolved issues identified in the research thus far. 1 reference