THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL CONTEXT ON SOCIAL APATHY

Jabbar Rahmani¹ and Fateme Alamdar²*
¹ Assist. Prof. Dr., Institute for Social and Cultural Studies, Iran, J_rahmani59@yahoo.com
² Dr, Iran, f.s.alamdar@gmail.com
*Corresponding author

Abstract

How do people choose to be apathetic while confronting unfavorable situations? Agents make decision about their reaction in the wide range of interactive situations which they experience in their daily lives on the basis of three fundamental factors: personality traits, social position and cultural context. This paper aims at investigating the influence of Iranian cultural context on their cultural logic as a platform to explain the reasons behind choosing apathy while confronting unfavorable situations. The study applies Garfinkel and Sikorel's ethno-methodological theories to outline this target. Data has collected through participatory observations, semi-structured interviews and reviewing research studies. The interviewees have selected from four distinct research fields include of people in different age and socio-economic class: A group of friends, a group of co-workers, and members of NGOs, and some unprivileged people. It is remarkable that all Interviewees were women.
As findings imply, these women describe "social apathy" as "not trying to influence nor improve an unfavorable situation which might happen either to a person himself, his family, close friends or strangers”. This reaction comes from either disappointment with potential outcomes or suffering fear from any harm or loss. Moreover, referring to results agents who are going to be apathetic in a particular situation decide based on three major cultural elements.
Firstly, it is important for individuals to “distinguish” if capturing in this unfavorable situation was a predictable outcome of a wrong decision which had been made previously. The importance of this element originates from these women’s religious belief and historical background. Secondly, individuals evaluate whether changing the unfavorable situation is advisable. "Expediency” means that agents want to know if their attempts might result in any suffering or loss. The last element is justifying the “effectiveness” of their attempts to influence the situation. If an agent considers his attempt useless, then he would prefer to be apathetic and thus he would save his assets for other controllable situations. 
In overall, we can conclude that agents create social apathy as social phenomena regarding cultural values and norms which gradually had been formed during their unique background. In the same way, interviewees’ willingness to act apathetically against unfavorable situations is being made in a united network of cultural context which is shaped by three main elements: “Distinguish”, “Expediency” and “effectiveness”.

Keywords: Social apathy, Cultural context, Ethnomethodology, Iranian culture