Lay descriptive and normative theories of morality: Understanding moral emotions in contemporary Asia

Abstract

The seven articles included in this special issue address two major themes in the study of moral emotions in contemporary Asia. The first theme concerns the important role of moral emotions in moral choices and moral behaviours, and the second theme concerns the effects of culture on the connection between moral judgment and moral emotions. In this introduction, these common themes are introduced and a lay theory perspective to inspire future research is proposed. In particular, it is postulated that, in every society, some people (lay descriptive theorists) view morality as the code of conduct put forward by society and accepted by most members of society. Others (lay normative theorists) view morality as the universal guide that all rational individuals accept for governing the behaviour of all moral agents. In this introduction, it is further proposed that in Asia the lay descriptive theory is more prevalent, although the cultural changes that accompany modernization might have increased the acceptance of lay normative theory.