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Taboos and Identity: Considering the Unthinkable

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  • Chaim Fershtman
  • Uri Gneezy
  • Moshe Hoffman

Abstract

A taboo is an "unthinkable" action. Even the thought of violating a taboo triggers a punishment. We consider a model in which taboos are part of the definition of one's identity. Deliberating over breaking the taboo changes the individual's choice set, and provides information on possible private benefits. The strength of the taboo is determined by the number of individuals that obey it. We analyze the relationship between social heterogeneity and taboos' strength. We then examine societies in which individuals choose among several identities characterized by different taboos. We characterize the conditions that give rise to a multi-identity society. (JEL Z13)

Suggested Citation

  • Chaim Fershtman & Uri Gneezy & Moshe Hoffman, 2011. "Taboos and Identity: Considering the Unthinkable," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 139-164, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejmic:v:3:y:2011:i:2:p:139-64
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/mic.3.2.139
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. George Akerlof, 1976. "The Economics of Caste and of the Rat Race and Other Woeful Tales," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 90(4), pages 599-617.
    2. George A. Akerlof, 1980. "A Theory of Social Custom, of which Unemployment may be One Consequence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 94(4), pages 749-775.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Cervellati, Matteo & Vanin, Paolo, 2013. "“Thou shalt not covet”: Prohibitions, temptation and moral values," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 15-28.
    3. Jean-Paul Carvalho, 2017. "Coordination and culture," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 64(3), pages 449-475, October.
    4. Andrés Marroquín & Colleen Haight, 2017. "Twin-killing in some traditional societies: an economic perspective," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 261-279, October.
    5. Farrukh Nazir & Arshad Ali & Muhammad Farooq, 2019. "Social Taboos in Pakistani Prime Time Urdu Dramas," Global Regional Review, Humanity Only, vol. 4(2), pages 67-77, June.
    6. te Velde, Vera L. & Louis, Winnifred, 2022. "Conformity to descriptive norms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 204-222.
    7. Mechtel, Mario & Hett, Florian & Kröll, Markus, 2014. "Endogenous Social Identity and Group Choice," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100307, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Zulfahmi Irwan & Noer Jihad Saleh & Abidin Pammu, 2021. "Translation Strategy of Indonesian Subtitle for English Taboo Words in The Get Hard Movie: Gottlieb’s Strategy," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 5(09), pages 547-551, September.
    9. Fouad Abi–Esber & Ping Yang & Hiromi Muranaka & Mohamed Moustakim, 2018. "Linguistic Taboos: A Case Study on Australian Lebanese Speakers," Asian Culture and History, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(1), pages 1-89, March.
    10. Cherrier, Helene & Goswami, Paromita & Ray, Subhasis, 2018. "Social entrepreneurship: Creating value in the context of institutional complexity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 245-258.
    11. te Velde, Vera L., 2022. "Heterogeneous norms: Social image and social pressure when people disagree," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 319-340.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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