Show Me Who You Respect and I Will Tell You What Your Culture Is

Abstract

Television shows can vary greatly between cultures, and it is possible that they may display what moral values are most important to a culture. In order to evaluate whether this is true the first author conducted a content analysis of the valence of moral values in French and Spanish television shows. This study analyzed the French show “Lupin” and the Spanish show “La Casa de Papel” which are both from the genre of crime and evaluated the valence of how the moral values of group loyalty and respect were depicted. Based on data from previous studies, the hypothesis was that the Spanish show would portray group loyalty as positive more often than the French show and would portray respect for authority negatively more often than the French show. The hypothesis was supported with regard to respect for authority, but not group loyalty which suggests that the hypothesis could be true but further research would be needed.