Enriching the Perceived Norms Perspective of Intergenerational Cultural Transmission: The Roles of Norm Reference Groups and Norm Adherence/Deviance Motive

• Main Author: LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2015
• Subjects: intergenerational cultural transmission; norms; value change; complexity theory; Social Psychology; Social Psychology and Interaction
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1911; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3168/viewcontent/EnrichPerceivedNormsIntergenCulturalTrans_2015.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In this article, I seek to apply Morris and Liu (2015)’s functionalist account of subjective norms to enrich Tam’s (2015) perceived norms perspective of intergenerational cultural transmission. This enriched approach recognizes parents’ choice to construct their transmission preferences that include norms of a nonmainstream reference group and that support a norm deviance motive. In this light, I review empirical evidence examining some factors that affect whether parents reference on peer or elite groups or they tend toward norm adherence or deviance in the transmission process. Acknowledging these variants allows the bridge of value transmission and value change studies that are rarely theoretically positioned to inform each other. I also discuss the possibilities of how to study intergenerational cultural transmission under an overarching complexity theoretical framework. These new research aveneus are deemed highly promising to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of what perpetuates and renews culture.