Understanding the Cultural Diversity of Chinese Morality

Abstract

The cultural psychology of Chinese morality is complex. However, cross-cultural researchers often overlooked this complexity by dichotomizing societal-cultural differences between the West and the East, and by focusing on the overall characteristics of a given cultural system. For instance, compared to its western counterparts (e.g., North American culture), moral culture in China is considered a prime exemplar of collectivism which emphasizes the preservation of traditional social order but downplays the protection of individual rights and freedoms. To address these oversimplified views, in this chapter we introduce a cultural diversity perspective for examining the diversity and dynamics of Chinese morality. This approach suggests that the cultural psychology of Chinese morality varies as a function of macro-, meso-, and micro-contexts. Accordingly, there exists substantial within-China diversity in moral values, judgments, and practices, across geographic regions, communities, and individuals. To demonstrate this point, we present preliminary findings that reveal how Chinese respondents from different provinces, communities, organizations, and socioeconomic groups differed in their moral judgments about individual freedom of personal-sexual lifestyle choices. And how societal modernization played a critical role in shaping these moral diversities. These findings enrich our knowledge about the cultural psychology of Chinese morality, avoiding the danger of stereotyping Chinese culture as a rigid and static entity.