Cohen & NisbettCohen and Nisbett worked on Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South together to determine whether "culture of honor" causes higher levels of violence in the south. Their theory suggests that it is something about white southern culture that causes the violence. According to Nisbett and Cohen, in a “culture of honor,” a reputation for strength and toughness held great economic value. Nisbett and Cohen conducted studies and field experiments to provide further evidentiary support for the idea that a type of “culture of honor” still exists in the South. Census and crime reports depicted the idea that the homicide rate of the South remains high in relation to the rest of the country (10). Additionally, Nisbett and Cohen found that laws and social policies of the South were more lenient with regard to self-defense, gun control, corporal punishment, and capital punishment. The authors assert that these two archival studies portray a greater Southern acceptance of violence for protection, honor, and maintaining control. Additionally, Nisbett and Cohen administered controlled laboratory experiments to document Southerners responses to insult. Based upon their findings, the authors concluded that Southerners respond to insults in different ways than Northerners
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