Toward an Understanding of Psychological Distance Reduction between Generations: A Cross-cultural Perspective

Abstract

We explore how cultural factors at both socio-economic and psychological individual levels affect the present generation's beneficence toward future generations in organizations and society. We examine how socio-economic mechanisms may influence the present generation's focus on the future consequences of their decisions. In addition, we examine how self-construals in different cultures might result in different mechanisms underlying the reduction of psychological distance between generations in different cultures. Implications of our cross-cultural analysis to intergenerational decision making within the context of group research in general are discussed.

Citation

Hernandez, M., Chen, Y.-R. and Wade-Benzoni, K.A. (2006), "Toward an Understanding of Psychological Distance Reduction between Generations: A Cross-cultural Perspective", Chen, Y.-R. (Ed.) National Culture and Groups (Research on Managing Groups and Teams, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1534-0856(06)09001-3