Value Boundaries, Altruism and Well-Being

• In Event: 500 - Section on Altruism, Morality and Social Solidarity Paper Session. Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity

Abstract

Values are core to the self and crucial for signaling social identities. However, little quantitative research has empirically linked value orientations with social inclusion and exclusion. We explore the relationships between values and group distinctions, ultimately contributing to the growing field of boundary research in sociology, with a novel measurement technique that identifies values attributed to core in-group and out-group members. Using data from a new cross-national survey, the Moral Schemas, Cultural Conflict, and Socio-Political Action Survey (2014), we demonstrate that values related to altruism, like benevolence, are particularly important for drawing group boundaries as well as subjective and social well-being. This study provides significant insights into how important moral groups and common value denominators motivate social identities and well-being.

Authors

• Rengin Bahar Firat, Georgia State University

• Ethan Rogers, University of Iowa

• Steven Hitlin, University of Iowa

• Hye Won Kwon, University of Iowa