Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness

Global consciousness (GC), encompassing cosmopolitan orientation, global orientations (i.e. openness to multicultural experiences) and identification with all humanity, is a relatively stable individual difference that is strongly associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, less ingr...

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Main Authors: Zhang, R. J., Liu, J. H., Lee, M., Lin, M. H., Xie, T., Chen, S, LEUNG, Angela K. Y., Lee, I-Ching, Hodgetts, D., Valdes, E., Choi, S.
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Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3843
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5101/viewcontent/continuities_and_discontinuities_pvoa_cc_by.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.soss_research-51012023-12-12T08:59:01Z Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness Zhang, R. J. Liu, J. H. Lee, M. Lin, M. H. Xie, T. Chen, S LEUNG, Angela K. Y. Lee, I-Ching Hodgetts, D. Valdes, E. Choi, S. Global consciousness (GC), encompassing cosmopolitan orientation, global orientations (i.e. openness to multicultural experiences) and identification with all humanity, is a relatively stable individual difference that is strongly associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, less ingroup favouritism and prejudice, and greater pandemic prevention safety behaviours. Little is known about how it is socialized in everyday life. Using stratified samples from six societies, socializing institution factors correlating positively with GC were education, white collar work (and its higher income) and religiosity. However, GC also decreased with increasing age, contradicting a 'wisdom of elders' transmission of social learning, and not replicating typical findings that general prosociality increases with age. Longitudinal findings were that empathy-building, network-enhancing elements like getting married or welcoming a new infant, increased GC the most across a three-month interval. Instrumental gains like receiving a promotion (or getting a better job) also showed positive effects. Less intuitively, death of a close-other enhanced rather than reduced GC. Perhaps this was achieved through the ritualized management of meaning where a sense of the smallness of self is associated with growth of empathy for the human condition, as a more discontinuous or opportunistic form of culture-based learning. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'. 2023-07-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3843 info:doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0263 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5101/viewcontent/continuities_and_discontinuities_pvoa_cc_by.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection School of Social Sciences eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University cosmopolitanism cultural evolution death global consciousness identification with all humanity social learning Multicultural Psychology Personality and Social Contexts Social Psychology
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic cosmopolitanism
cultural evolution
death
global consciousness
identification with all humanity
social learning
Multicultural Psychology
Personality and Social Contexts
Social Psychology
spellingShingle cosmopolitanism
cultural evolution
death
global consciousness
identification with all humanity
social learning
Multicultural Psychology
Personality and Social Contexts
Social Psychology
Zhang, R. J.
Liu, J. H.
Lee, M.
Lin, M. H.
Xie, T.
Chen, S
LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
Lee, I-Ching
Hodgetts, D.
Valdes, E.
Choi, S.
Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
description Global consciousness (GC), encompassing cosmopolitan orientation, global orientations (i.e. openness to multicultural experiences) and identification with all humanity, is a relatively stable individual difference that is strongly associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, less ingroup favouritism and prejudice, and greater pandemic prevention safety behaviours. Little is known about how it is socialized in everyday life. Using stratified samples from six societies, socializing institution factors correlating positively with GC were education, white collar work (and its higher income) and religiosity. However, GC also decreased with increasing age, contradicting a 'wisdom of elders' transmission of social learning, and not replicating typical findings that general prosociality increases with age. Longitudinal findings were that empathy-building, network-enhancing elements like getting married or welcoming a new infant, increased GC the most across a three-month interval. Instrumental gains like receiving a promotion (or getting a better job) also showed positive effects. Less intuitively, death of a close-other enhanced rather than reduced GC. Perhaps this was achieved through the ritualized management of meaning where a sense of the smallness of self is associated with growth of empathy for the human condition, as a more discontinuous or opportunistic form of culture-based learning. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
format text
author Zhang, R. J.
Liu, J. H.
Lee, M.
Lin, M. H.
Xie, T.
Chen, S
LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
Lee, I-Ching
Hodgetts, D.
Valdes, E.
Choi, S.
author_facet Zhang, R. J.
Liu, J. H.
Lee, M.
Lin, M. H.
Xie, T.
Chen, S
LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
Lee, I-Ching
Hodgetts, D.
Valdes, E.
Choi, S.
author_sort Zhang, R. J.
title Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
title_short Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
title_full Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
title_fullStr Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
title_full_unstemmed Continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
title_sort continuities and discontinuities in the cultural evolution of global consciousness
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2023
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3843
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5101/viewcontent/continuities_and_discontinuities_pvoa_cc_by.pdf
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