Commentary: The Self-Control Ethos as a Mechanism of Social Exclusion in Western Societies

Abstract

Joffe and Staerklé present relevant contributions for improvement of our understanding about the mechanisms of social exclusion in western societies. From the analysis of the self-control ethos in three different domains—mind, body and destiny—the authors develop a fresh view about the relations between cultural values and stereotype content. Here I focus on two domains that are worth further exploration: self-control over the body as a symbol of status; and affective roots of prejudices. Two suggestions are made for future inquiries into how individualism, which feeds into the self-control ethos, has a strategic role in the maintenance of social exclusion mechanisms.