Concepts of freedoms and rights in a traditional, hierarchically organized society

This study examined whether and how members of a non‐Western traditional culture hold concepts of rights and liberties. Ninety Druze adolescents and adults (mean ages 13:3, 17:6, and 43:11) were posed with general questions about freedoms of speech, religion and reproduction, as well as with situations in which the exercise of those freedoms was in conflict with weak and strong versions of each of the following social goals: avoiding harm to persons, community interests and directives from family authority. The findings indicate that Druze adolescents and adults endorse each of the freedoms in the abstract as rights independent of existing laws. Further, they judge these rights not as absolute or inviolate, but as freedoms that in certain contexts can be subordinated to conflicting social concerns. No age differences were obtained in the general endorsement of freedoms, but older participants were more likely than younger participants to affirm freedoms in conflict situations.