Culture, social organization, and patterns of violence

Traditional social theorizing holds that strong and cohesive family, community, and religious institu-tions rein in violence. However, in cultures where certain types of violence are condoned, this should not be true. Specifically, in the U.S. South and West, where culture-of-honor traditions persist, greater social organization should be associated with more violence. This pattern was confirmed in examinations of argument-related homicide rates (Study 1); mass consumption patterns for violence in entertainment, recreation, and vocational pursuits (Study 2); and voting patterns of political elites on gun control and national defense issues (Study 3). Across the 3 studies, social organization was associated with effects in the South and West opposite of what they were in the North. Implications for general theories of cultural evolution, suggesting a cycle in the way societies crystallize and change, are discussed. It is a widely held belief that strong, cohesive, tightly struc-tured families and communities keep people behaving in an appropriate manner and rein in impulses toward violence and deviance. The underlying assumption is that humans unchecked by social restraints tend toward violence, force, and selfishnes