Personal values and intergroup outcomes of concern for group honor

Using random samples of approximately 200 Lebanese and 200 Syrian citizens, we examined the antecedents and consequences of individuals' desires to maintain the honor of different groups to which they belong. As expected, the importance of group honor was positively associated with the conservation values of conformity and tradition, negatively associated with the openness to change values of hedonism and stimulation, and positively related to the self-transcendence values of benevolence and universalism. Group honor concern was positively related to conforming and tender-minded personality traits and empathy. The intergroup outcomes of concern for group honor in Lebanon and Syria were examined in the context of relations between Arabs and Americans. Beyond the related effects of RWA and SDO, Lebanese and Syrians' concerns about maintaining the honor of their ingroups predicted support for violence against Americans through perceptions that Americans disrespect, mistreat, and want to humiliate Arabs. Similar patterns of relationships emerged in both Lebanon and Syria, bolstering confidence in the generalizability of the findings across cultures of honor with similar intergroup power dynamics. Implications for understanding the meaning of group honor across cultures with different intergroup power dynamics are discussed.