Honor Bound

In Honor Bound, social psychologist Ryan Brown tells the story of how a specific cultural narrative, the ideology of honor, continues to shape the psyche of people around the world, including the southern and western United States. The ideology of honor underlies behaviors from spontaneous bar fights to organized acts of terrorism, but it's also at work in romantic relationships, mental health and well-being, terrorist attacks, suicide, foreign policy decisions by political leaders, and even how parents name their babies. Throughout this book, Brown reveals the powerful, surprising, and sometimes paradoxical dynamics of honor through personal stories, contemporary events, and scientific research.