In French culture, commitment connects directly to honor—keeping commitments maintains honor; breaking them destroys it. This elevates commitment above mere practical calculation into moral territory. Breaking commitments is not just imprudent but shameful; keeping them despite difficulty is not just sensible but honorable.
When French counterparts weigh commitment decisions, honor is at stake alongside practical consequences. Loss of honor may matter more than practical losses that breach might cause.
This means appeals to honor may motivate performance when practical arguments fail. It also means that commitment failures create shame that affects how the person relates to themselves and how others relate to them. The honor dimension makes commitment-keeping a matter of self-respect, not just strategic behavior.
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