The overarching framework of the unified model of
morality comes from cultural theory, which was
developed chiefly by anthropologist Mary Douglas
and political scientist Aaron Wildavsky (Thompson,
Ellis, & Wildavsky, 1990; Wildavsky, 1987). Douglas
and Wildavsky identified two concomitant, universal
forces of social life: Grid and Group. Grid represents
the degree to which different roles between individuals correspond to choice in how people interact.
It measures the importance of individual identity in
determining what a person is free to do. The more
strongly Grid-oriented a social environment is, the
more individuals’ potential actions are limited by
their personal identity. In contrast, low-Grid social
contexts place less emphasis on what individuals
may do according to how they are identified. The
military, the Catholic Church, and hierarchically
stratified corporations–—each with clearly defined
chains of command–—are high-Grid environments:
actions are prescribed or precluded based on individual status.