The uprisings across the Middle Eastern countries have had many surprising elements, many of which have been amply analyzed by the media and social commentators.
What has been absent from these analyses, however, is the role of powerful psycho-cultural norms in making it much harder for the young protesters across the region to go out on the streets and rebel.
In particular, their ability to defy some of the norms that are embedded within countries in which Islam is the predominant source of moral influence has been rather impressive for me, both personally as an Afghan and professionally as a social psychologist.
The culture of respect for the elderly and people in authority across the Middle East has played a key role in the autocratic rulers securing social compliance to their regimes.
Typically, such compliance is achieved through the potent route of emotions, in particular through inducing the powerful emotion of shame.
The constant reference to Egyptians as ‘children’ by Mubarak during the uprising in Egypt was more than a benign gesture of care and concern.
In fact, an official spokesman of the Mubarak government once asked the parents of these protesting ‘children’ to call them home.
Full article Your Swale :: Article :: The role of young people in Middle East uprisings should not be underestimated.
