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  3. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
  4. May 2011
  5. Taboos and Identity: Considering the Unthinkable

American Economic Journal:
Microeconomics

ISSN 1945-7669 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7685 (Online)

Taboos and Identity: Considering the Unthinkable

  • Chaim Fershtman
  • Uri Gneezy
  • Moshe Hoffman
American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
vol. 3, no. 2, May 2011
(pp. 139–64)
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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)

Citation

Fershtman, Chaim, Uri Gneezy, and Moshe Hoffman. 2011. "Taboos and Identity: Considering the Unthinkable." American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 3 (2): 139–64. DOI: 10.1257/mic.3.2.139

JEL Classification

  • Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Social and Economic Stratification
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