UNPACKAGING CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN INITIATION BETWEEN ISRAELI SUBGROUPS Tradition and Control Orientations as Mediating Factors

This study was designed to gain a better understanding of cross-cultural differences in initiation behavior within the relatively Westernized Israeli society. It has been suggested that traditional subgroups in Israel exhibit lower initiation behavior than the majority group and that control orientations mediate this difference based on their high relevance to initiation and their previously established difference in modern versus traditional cultures. A sample of 178 students comprised of members of the majority group and of two traditional subgroups (Israeli Arabs and Israelis of Ethiopian origin) was investigated. The modern and traditional groups were compared on two measures of initiation: a behavioral measure that required minimal initiation and a self-reported measure of initiation behavior. Models showed that the expected crosscultural differences in initiation were unpackaged by tradition and control orientations, with tradition, secondary control, and relinquished control serving as meaningful mediators. Primary control was a less proximal predictor.