Behavior is not solely determined by individual dispositions or situational demands, but by the dynamic interplay between them. The current research investigates the contextual sensitivity of behavioral determinants by examining how personal values and social norms influence behavior across tight and loose cultural contexts. We either measured (Study 1: n = 762) or manipulated (Study 2: n = 564) cultural tightness and examined how it moderates the influence of experimentally induced personal values and social norms on environmental behavior. As hypothesized, in loose contexts, which are characterized by weak norms and high tolerance for deviance, only personal values influenced behavior, whereas the effect of social norms did not differ from the control condition. Contrary to our hypothesis, in tight contexts, which are characterized by strong norms and low tolerance for deviance, personal values and social norms both influenced behavior as compared to the control condition, potentially due to their enhanced accessibility. In both studies, the results were highly consistent regarding behavioral intentions; however, they did not translate to overt behavior. Cultural tightness provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for a nuanced understanding of how contextual factors shape the relative influence of personal versus societal forces on human behavior.
Elster et al. (Wed,) studied this question.