Explore the influence of social norms on individuals and cultures, including the concepts of rule making and rule breaking, cultural variations, and the significance of studying social norms.
What ultimately drives human behaviour? A leading professor of psychology, Michele Gelfand, suggests that culture is one of the last uncharted frontiers. From her pioneering research into cultural and social norms she’s found an important distinction between tight and loose cultures, and their tendency to make or break rules. These social norms or informal rules of conduct determine whether we co-operate or come into conflict, at both the collective and individual levels.
This program was first broadcast in June 2019