The Gen Z Role Models Project

Last month, I had the honour of delivering a guest lecture for Professor Carl Hildebrand’s Love, Morality, and the Meaning of Human Relationships Common Core course at HKU. The lecture, titled “Relating to Our Role Models: On Personal Ideals and Moral Exemplars,” focused on the psychology and ethics of role modelling, and offered insights from my Gen Z project on the role of moral exemplars in shaping younger generations’ values and beliefs.

Moral Psychology of Role Modelling: Admiration as the Foundation

In the first half of the lecture, I explored the moral psychology behind why we have role models. At its core, I argued that role models help us navigate the complexity of life by providing examples of how to act and what to value. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel or learn everything from scratch—through admiration, we are motivated to imitate behaviors, values, and virtues that we perceive as good. In this way, role models serve as shortcuts to moral understanding and personal growth.

I also discussed what makes for effective role modelling, touching on four key attributes: relevance, relatability, attainability, and authenticity. Role models need to resonate with us on a personal level, so their behaviors and values are accessible and meaningful. They should also be attainable—role models who seem too perfect or distant may inspire admiration but fail to motivate action. Authenticity is essential because we must believe that the role model’s example is genuine, not artificially curated.

Insights from the Gen Z Project: Analyzing Role Models in the Modern World

In the second half of the lecture, I introduced my Gen Z project, which seeks to understand how young people view role models in the context of religious and spiritual disaffiliation, influencer culture, and rapidly changing societal values. The project employs story completion, surveys, and participatory workshops to gather insights from Gen Z participants about the role models they admire, why they admire them, and the qualities they associate with these figures.

A particularly fascinating aspect of this research emerged when I conducted a live poll with the students during the lecture. I asked them which story-type from my study resonated most with them. To my surprise, the Self-Help Narrative came out on top, even though it had received one of the lowest responses in my original global sample. This unexpected result opened up a broader conversation about how modern role models in the form of self-help influencers and motivational figures can significantly impact young people’s moral development.

Encouraging Collaboration and Future Development

The lecture also included a call for collaborators to help expand the Gen Z project. I was pleased to receive several eager responses from the students, which was incredibly encouraging. This interest sparked the idea of developing a Hong Kong-specific version of the project, integrating local cultural perspectives on role models and moral exemplars.

As I continue to refine the project, I look forward to collaborating with individuals and institutions in Hong Kong to explore how Gen Z views moral exemplars in a global context. If you are interested in collaborating on this exciting initiative, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can deepen our understanding of how young people relate to role models and how these figures can shape their values and identities in the 21st century.

Stay tuned for more updates on the expansion of the Gen Z project, and thank you to everyone who participated in the lecture and poll. And a huge thanks to Carl for the kind invitation to present!