Adults who live under oppressive government regimes with high levels of surveillance may have more self-control than those who don’t, according to a new study published in The Economic Journal.
Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, researchers found former East German residents, who were governed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) post World War II, have more self-control than former West German residents.
The findings showed those who lived in the East in 1989, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, have much higher self-control scores than their Western counterparts, even about thirty years after Germany’s reunification, so much so, they are the equivalent of 15 years older in terms of emotional maturity.
Between 1949–90, Germany was divided, with the Allies (U.S., U.K., and France) establishing a liberal democracy in the West, and the communist Soviet Union ruling the East.
“We believe the discrepancy in self-control scores could be due to the fact East Germans lived under civic suppression. The East’s oppressive regime may have acted as an incentive for residents to show more self-restraint out of fear of repercussion,” said co-author Dr Sarah Dahmann from the University of Melbourne.
“The GDR controlled many aspects of civilians’ lives including education and employment, punishing those who spoke out against the party leadership. As a result, many parents would encourage their children to suppress their thoughts and desires due to fear of punishment,” she said.
The paper examined the correlation between the average number of unofficial local government informers in GDR counties (between 1980-88) and the self-control scores of 299 residents who lived in the GDR in 1989 and still lived in an East German federal state in 2017. Unofficial informers were ordinary citizens—co-workers, friends, and even family members—who reported anyone who was critical of the GDR to the government’s state security service. The results showed residents in GDR counties that had a higher number of unofficial informers, ended up with a greater ability to self-regulate.
“While these findings suggest government surveillance plays a critical role in shaping self-control, another driver could be the fact that East Germans’ lives were more restricted and therefore residents needed to be frugal and have more self-control than those in the West, who grew up in a capitalist society,” said Dr Dahmann.
This research was conducted as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.
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