Ethical, Social, and Psychological Harms of Underdevelopment in Zanjan City: A Qualitative Study
Akhlāq-i zīstī i.e., Bioethics Journal,
Vol. 16 No. 41 (1405),
19 June 2026
,
Page 1-11
https://doi.org/10.22037/bioeth.v16i41.51435
Abstract
Background and Aim: Underdevelopment is a multidimensional phenomenon whose consequences extend beyond the economic and physical dimensions to encompass the ethical, social, and psychological aspects of society. Focusing on the city of Zanjan, the present study examines the harms arising from underdevelopment at three levels: ethical, social, and psychological.
Methods: This study employed a qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection technique. The participants comprised experts and key informants, including university professors in sociology, psychology, economics and law, as well as experts from the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA), the State Welfare Organization, and the Zanjan Governorate. Interviews were conducted with 25 participants. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding.
Ethical Considerations: The interviews were conducted with the participants’ full knowledge and informed consent. Their personal information was kept confidential throughout all stages of the study, and the interviews were analyzed anonymously.
Findings: The findings indicate that the expansion of administrative and financial corruption, the erosion of ethical values and the culture of effort, declining respect for the law, and moral duality, together with a widening generation gap, family-related constraints, the expansion of informal settlements, and the erosion of social capital, have contributed to weakening social cohesion. Furthermore, the emergence of depression and collective despair, feelings of learned helplessness, anxiety about the future, a sense of identity loss, and relative deprivation has posed serious challenges to the individual and collective mental health of citizens.
Conclusion: Underdevelopment in Zanjan has generated a vicious cycle of ethical erosion, social distrust, and psychological harms, which in turn contributes to the reproduction of underdevelopment. Therefore, achieving sustainable development in the city requires a comprehensive approach that, in addition to economic and institutional reforms, places particular emphasis on rebuilding social capital, strengthening public morality, and promoting the mental health and psychological well-being of citizens.
- Underdevelopment
- Ethical harms
- Social harms
- Psychological harms
- Zanjan City
How to Cite
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