Culture Of Honor: The Psychology Of Violence In The South (New Directions in Social Psychology) [Paperback]

Richard E Nisbett (Author), Dov Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0813319935 | ISBN-13: 978-0813319933

In the United States, the homicide rate in the South is consistently higher than the rate in the North. In this brilliantly argued book, Richard Nisbett and Dov Cohen use this fact as a starting point for an exploration of the underlying reasons for violence.According to Nisbett and Cohen, the increased tendency of white southerners to commit certain kinds of violence is not due to socioeconomic class, population density, the legacy of slavery, or the heat of the South; it is the result of a culture of honor in which a man’s reputation is central to his economic survival. Working from historical, survey, social policy, and experimental data, the authors show that in the South it is more acceptable to be violent in response to an insult, in order to protect home and property, and to aid in socializing children. These values are reflected not only in what southerners say, but also in the institutional practices of the South, the actions of Southerners, and their physiological responses to perceived affronts.In this lively and intriguing account, the authors combine bold theory and careful methodology to reveal a set of central beliefs that can contribute to increased violence. More broadly, they show us the interaction between culture, economics, and individual behavior. This engaging study will be of interest to students, educated lay readers, and scholars.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard E. Nisbett is Theodore M. Newcomb Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and codirector of the Culture and Cognition Program at the University of Michigan. Dov Cohen is assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Richard E. Nisbett is Theodore M. Newcomb Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and codirector of the Culture and Cognition Program at the University of Michigan. Dov Cohen is assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (March 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813319935
• ISBN-13: 978-0813319933
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Social Science at its best May 8, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The culture of honor is a fascinating look at the role that cultural traditions can play in determining the incidence of homocide and other forms of violence. What I liked most about the book was the way Nisbett and Cohen used all the tools of social science, from survey and archival research to clever laboratory experiments to test their thesis. The way in which they "broke down" their data was particularly convincing. For instance they showed that where cultural influences were strongest(for example, in small towns rather than big cities)the North-South differences in homocide rates were greatest.While there were a lot of statistical tables and graphs, the book was easy and entertaining to read. I would especially recommend it for people who are interested in understanding about regional differences in American ideas about taking the law into your own hands, and for undergraduates who want to get a good look at the way social scientists can tackle complicated questions.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, unconventional look at the culture of the American South January 24, 2009

By mianfei

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

For all its great hospitality and unique literature and music, the American South has often been seen as having a much darker side in the form of higher levels of violence than found elsewhere in the country or in other developed nations.

In "Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South", Richard Nisbett and Dov Cohen closely examine violence in the American South and show the extra violence in the South to lie in the culture of honour inherited from the original settlers of the South, who were herders from the mountainous regions of Scotland and northern Ireland. The culture of honour, in which people are expected to carry out revenge if their honour or ability to defend themselves is insulted, arises as a result of resources being easily stolen, so that in the absence of big government theft becomes a viable route to bounty. Such conditions are fulfilled by herders who are always in danger of losing their extremely portable animals to another herder. Nisbett and Cohen show that herding peoples have always been much more violent than farmers or hunter/gatherers.

Nisbett and Cohen use very well-selected data to show how the difference in violence between the South and the rest of the United States relates to violence committed as a result of arguments, which are seen as threats to the power of not only men but also women in the South. Many other uses of violence are supported no more or even less in the South than in other parts of the United States (for example violence as a means of achieving social change).... They also refute arguments that income inequality or slavery is responsible for the violence in the South by showing its concentration in the mountain areas where slavery was very rare due to the cooler climate.

The book also gives a very good explanation for a number of important facts about honour cultures unrelated to herding or the American South. For example, they show that honour cultures can arise for the same reasons in slash-and-burn farming cultures (see Peggy Reeves Sanday for a description of the Yanomamo) and in certain urban societies. (An undiscussed case that I am curious about is forestry-based societies, where the portability of timber might easily produce honour cultures). Nisbett and Cohen also show how non-portability of resources precludes honour cultures in settled farming societies and among primitive foragers. They also take an extremely thoughtful look at the persistence of honour cultures even after the South has become totally divorced from a herding economy.

All in all, "Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South" gives a good look at the American South with some surprising conclusions that few even among those with a good historical education understand. Read more ›

4.0 out of 5 stars Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South June 10, 2013

By Nicole Calma

Format:Paperback

The Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South provides an interesting account for patterns of White, male violence in the South, including an analysis of the historical context of the region. The book compares the patterns of violence to those in other herding cultures around the world. In addition, the authors do an excellent job presenting the research to support their claims, making it both understandable to the public and providing enough detail to know how the studies were conducted. While it can be taxing to read through all of the research, it is very informative and the authors do a comprehensive job backing up their theory. Using the data, the authors spend a lot of time logically discounting alternative explanations that could arise to explain the theory. This may come at the expense of discussing practical and clinical implications of the data, but is also a necessary step for establishing the new theory in the field.

This text put words and data to a theory of male violence in the South that I had already believed in, but had difficulty articulating or explaining. The research and theory have important implications for understanding large parts of our society and certain patterns of male violence. For instance, much of the behavior and culture of people in gangs and governmentless societies can be better understood with this theory. In addition, I believe the theory can help explain the pull that societies feel to go to war when attacked or slighted by another group. However, some may find the theory too narrow, as it seeks to explain patterns of White, male violence in rural areas of the South; a very narrow focus group.... While this group is still influential in our culture, we are becoming more diverse as a society, which may weaken the strength of this theory. Overall, I found this book to be extremely thought provoking and important for understanding certain patterns of violence that are often seen in our society.

Nicole Calma, M.A.
Clinical Psychology Graduate Student Read more ›

10 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Used in Master's Thesis: Southern Land Abuse. February 13, 2005

By Steve Spacek

Format:Paperback

Excellent book! Used in my M.P.A. Thesis (ARP) literature review for "DO MESS WITH IT! A Sociopolitical Study of Littering and the Role of Southern and Nearby States" ([...] Nisbett and Chen mention the historical yet negative effects of prevailing Scotch-Irish temperament dominating the entire Southern United States. An "absence of the state" and the region's remote population and geography conspired against law enforcement demanding citizen compliance with regulatory edicts. "A man's personal strength," not always based on good character, determined his social credibility, leading to a might makes right mindset and accompanying violence--"a Culture of Honor." My thesis takes Nisbett and Chen further to plausibly explain why this "Culture" helps contribute to a negative legacy of southern environmental attitudes: a corrupt, elitist, Traditionalistic Political Culture; leading high state murder rates; year after year low quality-of-life scores (in comparison to non-southern states).