Family practices and ascension-oriented values: on the genesis of hierarchical self-interest

"This article investigates the question of which specific family practices or parental educational styles promote the training of market-oriented and competitive values. Dependent variables are the values of hierarchical self-interest (HSI). These are the so-called “graduated logics” of the market-oriented society, which aim to be better than others at all costs, to show performance and to survive alone. Among the elements of the HSI syndrome, which can also be considered internalized elbow mentality, are performance orientation, competition thinking and machiavellism. The HSI values refer directly to the social placement in the hierarchical-stratified social structural system of society. They form the basis for the endeavor to achieve a better status than others. Even though the hierarchical self-interest seems to be constructive in the first place, because it is due to personal progress, it has negative consequences for society under certain conditions - especially under the impression of limited resources - (e.g. xenophobia). The individual expression of the hierarchical self-interest is dependent, among other things, on gender, socio-economic status and parental educational styles. According to the question of the sectional event, family practices should be at the center of the analyzes. Based on hypotheses from socialization and authoritarianism research, it is necessary to examine the influence of authoritarian educational practices and a performance-oriented educational style as well as parental values on the expression of the hierarchical self-interest in students. It is already suggested that the values of the hierarchical self-interest in their destructive character can be found in lower layers; the same applies to authoritarian educational styles. Thus, social inequality is linked to cultural differentiation."(author’s abstract) "Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags soll der Frage nachgegangen werden, welche spezifischen familialen Praxen bzw. elterlichen Erziehungsstile die Ausbildung markt- und wettbewerbsorientierter Werthaltungen fördern. Abhängige Variable sind die Werthaltungen des Hierarchischen Selbstinteresses (HSI). Das sind sogenannte 'verabsolutierte Logiken' der marktorientierten Gesellschaft, die darauf zielen, um jeden Preis besser als andere zu sein, Leistung zu zeigen und alleine bestehen zu können. Zu den Elementen des HSI-Syndroms, das sich auch als internalisierte Ellenbogenmentalität fassen lässt, gehören u.a. Leistungsorientierung, Ko