愛国心・国家主義とLoyaltyという道徳的価値との関係性についての検討

Loyalty is one of six criteria for moral judgment advocated by moral foundations theory. Previous research has demonstrated that those who rely more on loyalty have a conservative orientation and a tendency toward nationalism. This study examined the relationship between orientations toward the two concepts of patriotism and nationalism, which can be seen as partial components of national identity, and the moral foundation of loyalty, which can be seen as innate to human beings. The study surveyed a sample of Japanese people with the aim of examining the topic from various angles to gain an understanding of how these concepts are linked. The study’s results corroborate those of previous research and also confirmed the applicability to the Japanese population. Furthermore, these concepts were found to have the highest correlation with concepts that were related to history from among the six sub-concepts of loyalty. This suggests that in their orientation toward the nation, individuals place particular emphasis on the moral values shared among the people who make up a society, especially the value of history as a factual basis for sustaining that society, and further that these values can be subject to change through individual experience. The present study shows that perceptions toward one’s own nation, history, and politics exist in an integrated manner in the identity of individuals and explains individual ideological orientations partly. Additionally, it reveals that Japanese people also regard patriotism and nationalism as different concepts—albeit only slightly different.