Of Germs and Culture; Parasite Stress as the Origin of Individualism-Collectivism.

ABSTRACT: Among four proposed origins of individualism-collectivism, modernization theory, rice versus wheat theory, climato-economic theory, and pathogen stress theory, the latter has gained more attention in cross-cultural and evolutionary psychology. Since the parasite stress theory of values and sociality makes a connection between infectious diseases and cultural orientations, it gained even more popularity during the COVID pandemic. But despite extensive research on parasite stress theory, it is not still clear what kind of infectious disease contributes more to the emergence of cultures, what are the possible mechanisms through which pathogenic threat gives rise to cultural systems, and how parasite stress might affect vertical vs. horizontal dimensions of individualism-collectivism. This rev

SUBMITTER: Shapouri S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9362146 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature