5.4 Moralization Research in Chinese Cultural Contexts

Despite recent advances, most moralization research samples “WEIRD” populations (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic), limiting cultural diversity (Fitouchi et al., 2023). Future research should explore moralization across cultures, particularly in Chinese contexts.

Traditional Chinese culture features rich ethical theories, with some scholars arguing that it exhibits “pan-moralism”—making morality life’s ultimate concern (e.g., Liang, 2021; Jin, 2015; Yin, 2024). This pan-moralism counters moral nihilism and atomistic individualism (Cheng, 2024) but can also trigger public opinion crises, polarization, and social fragmentation (Chen & Wan, 2023). However, Chinese scholarship on moralization remains largely philosophical, lacking empirical psychological analysis. Limited evidence suggests Chinese individuals are more likely than Westerners to moralize conventional behaviors (Berniūnas et al., 2022; Buchtel et al., 2015).

Chinese culture’s emphasis on “benevolence, filial piety, propriety, righteousness, and integrity” creates unique moralization phenomena. For example, natural elements are moralized: the wise find moral lessons in water’s flow, the benevolent in mountains’ stability—“the wise delight in water, the benevolent delight in mountains.” Jade symbolizes five virtues (benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, purity), embodying the ideal that “a gentleman’s virtue is like jade” (Analects). Chickens represent five virtues (civility, martial spirit, courage, benevolence, trustworthiness). Archery is moralized as revealing inner character—“archery reveals virtue”—because its ritualistic discipline aligns with Confucian ideals of self-cultivation. These examples illustrate the pervasive moral lens in Chinese life. Future research should investigate these culturally specific moralization phenomena and their underlying mechanisms, contributing a Chinese perspective to the field.

References

Chen, Ke, & Wan, Xinrong. (2023). Online public opinion pan-moralization: Concomitant harms, formation logic, and governance strategies. Journal of Shandong Normal University (Social Science Edition), 68(1), 21–29.

Cheng, Zhimin. (2024). On the characteristics and modern value of Confucian "moralist" thought. Ethics Studies, 84(1), 52–60.

Liang, Shuming. (2021). The Essence of Chinese Culture. Beijing: The Commercial Press.

Jin, Guantao. (2015). Ten Lectures on Chinese Intellectual History: Volume 1. Law Press.

Teng, Yue, Zhang, Haotian, Zhao, Siqi, Peng, Kaiping, & Hu, Xiaomeng. (2024). Multicultural experiences enhance human altruistic behavior toward robots: The mediating role of mind perception. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 56(2), 146–160.

Tomasello. (2017). A Natural History of Human Morality (Wang, Ruijun, Trans.). Xinhua Publishing House.

Yin, Haiguang. (2024). The Outlook of Chinese Culture. Beijing: Democracy and Construction Press.

Zhang, Haotian, & Yu, Feng. (2023). The concept, manifestations, and causes of naturalness preference. Advances in Psychological Science, 31(12), 2393–2405.

Zhang, Haotian, Yu, Feng, Xu, Liying, & Xuan, Zheli. (2023). Monism and pluralism of morality: Origins, connotations, and debates. Advances in Psychological Science, 31(2), 201–213.

Moralization: How do people ascribe moral meaning to morally neutral things?

ZHANG Haotian (Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China)

Abstract: Moralization refers to the psychological process by which morally neutral objects, behaviors, or issues are imbued with moral meaning. The emergence of moralization is shaped by a range of cognitive, emotional, and social factors operating across multiple levels. Existing theoretical models of moralization, namely the moral amplification model and the push-pull model, offer valuable insights, yet they all overlook the influence of macro-sociocultural factors. The newly developed “cognitive-affective-social” integrative model of moralization aims to address this gap. The consequences of moralization are double-edged: on the one hand, it can promote prosocial behavior and help individuals pursue meaningful goals; on the other hand, it can also foster cognitive biases, unjustified discrimination, antagonism, group polarization, and even collective violence. Future research should focus on elucidating the psychological mechanisms and potential interventions for demoralization, investigating the role of emerging social media technologies in shaping moral-related attitudes and online behaviors, delving into the moralization study in the era of AI, and exploring moralization phenomena grounded in Chinese cultural contexts.

Keywords: moralization, demoralization, amplification model, push-and-pull model, Chinese culture