Metacontingency and Macrocontingency Analysis Related to Honor Crimes in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Abstract

Honor crimes are extremely violent cultural practices against women in general, and women in the Arab region in particular, culminating in murder by a male family member. The notion that religion, mainly Islam, enforces honor crimes is a misconception. Honor crimes are committed when a woman shames her family by having a premarital sexual relationship, an adulterous affair, other “inappropriate” behavior, or simply by being accused of such. Many families deal with this covertly by choosing a male family member, usually the brother, father, or uncle, to “cleanse” the family’s honor. In this paper we offer a descriptive analysis of cultural contingencies that maintain honor crimes as a cultural practice using the country of Jordan as a case study. The description of Jordan’s cultural milieu allows the identification of selected metacontingencies participating in the recurrence of this cultural practice. We will conclude with several recommendations on how to alter the number of aspects in the cultural milieu that may change how individuals within the Jordanian culture perceive honor crimes.