Why is Self-Enhancement Low in Certain Collectivist Cultures?

The purpose of the present study is to compare two alternative explanations for the low self-enhancement that characterizes collectivist cultures: (a) lack of a self-enhancement motive arising from the perceived centrality of others, and (b) cultural restrictions imposed on the self that are manifested by modesty requirements. The validity of the two explanations was investigated in two studies. Study 1 examined how self-enhancement is related to self-esteem and subjective well-being. Results from four samples showed that self-enhancement measures were significantly and positively related to self-esteem and to indices of well-being in collectivist cultures as well as independent ones, revealing the psychological benefits of self-enhancement in all tested cultures. Study 2 found that cultural differences in modesty, not the perceived centrality of others, best explains cultural differences in self-enhancement. Taken together, the results support the notion that cultural restrictions rather than the lack of a self-enhancement motive are responsible for the low self-enhancement found in certain collectivist cultures. Implications of these results for the conceptualization of the interdependent self were discussed.

[1]  Shinobu Kitayama,et al.  Explicit self-criticism and implicit self-regard: Evaluating self and friend in two cultures , 2003 .

[2]  J. Kurman,et al.  Is Self-Enhancement Negatively Related To Constructive Self-Criticism? , 2003 .

[3]  J. Kurman,et al.  Measured Cross-Cultural Differences in Self-Enhancement and the Sensitivity of the Self-Enhancement Measure to the Modesty Response , 2002 .

[4]  N. Sriram,et al.  Interrelationships among Vertical and Horizontal Collectivism, Modesty, and Self-Enhancement , 2002 .

[5]  J. Kurman.  Self-Enhancement: Is it Restricted to Individualistic Cultures? , 2001 .

[6]  D. R. Lehman,et al.  Culture and Positive Illusions in Close Relationships: How My Relationships Are Better than Yours , 2000 .

[7]  D. Paulhus.  Interpersonal and intrapsychic adaptiveness of trait self-enhancement: a mixed blessing? , 1998, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[8]  Robert B. Cialdini,et al.  When Social Role Salience Leads to Social Role Rejection: Modest Self-Presentation among Women and Men in Two Cultures , 1998 .

[9]  N. Sriram,et al.  Self-Enhancement, Generality of Self-Evaluation, and Affectivity in Israel and Singapore , 1997 .

[10]  Harry C. Triandis,et al.  Individualism versus collectivism or versus authoritarianism , 1996 .

[11]  M. Gelfand,et al.  Culture, gender, and self: a perspective from individualism-collectivism research. , 1995, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[12]  M. Gelfand,et al.  Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Individualism and Collectivism: A Theoretical and Measurement Refinement , 1995 .

[13]  T. Singelis,et al.  The Measurement of Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals , 1994 .

[14]  D. Oyserman.  The lens of personhood: Viewing the self and others in a multicultural society. , 1993 .

[15]  A. Rubinstein,et al.  The demography of the Ethiopian community in Israel. , 1993, Israel journal of medical sciences.

[16]  R. Seginer,et al.  Cross-Cultural Variations of Adolescents' Future Orientation , 1991 .

[17]  G. W. Milligan,et al.  A study of standardization of variables in cluster analysis , 1988 .

[18]  D. Watson,et al.  Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. , 1988, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[19]  Shelley E. Taylor,et al.  Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health. , 1988, Psychological bulletin.

[20]  M. Bond,et al.  The Social Impact of Self-Effacing Attributions: The chinese Case , 1982 .

[21]  James D. Portwood.  Book Review: International and Comparative Industrial Relations: Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values , 1982 .

[22]  G. Hofstede,et al.  Culture′s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values , 1980 .

[23]  D. J. Lee.  Society and the Adolescent Self-Image , 1969 .

[24]  W. W. Stainthorpe.  Co-operative living , 1906 .

[25]  David Dunning,et al.  How chronic self-views influence (and potentially mislead) estimates of performance. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[26]  C. Sedikides,et al.  Pancultural self-enhancement. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[27]  D. R. Lehman,et al.  Is there a universal need for positive self-regard? , 1999, Psychological review.

[28]  H. Markus,et al.  Individual and collective processes in the construction of the self: self-enhancement in the United States and self-criticism in Japan. , 1997, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[29]  J. Schwarzwald,et al.  Perceived threat and social dominance as determinants of prejudice toward Russian and Ethiopian immigrants in Israel , 1997 .

[30]  H. Eysenck.  Individualism and collectivism , 1996 .

[31]  M. Banaji,et al.  Implicit social cognition: attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. , 1995, Psychological review.

[32]  Ç. Kâğıtçıbaşı.  A critical appraisal of individualism and collectivism: Toward a new formulation. , 1994 .

[33]  S. Schwartz.  Beyond individualism/collectivism: New cultural dimensions of values. , 1994 .

[34]  S. Yamaguchi,et al.  Collectivism among the Japanese: A perspective from the self. , 1994 .

[35]  J. Connell,et al.  The validity of students' self-reports as measures of performance affecting self-appraisals. , 1992 .

[36]  J. Meece,et al.  Student Perceptions in the Classroom , 1992 .

[37]  H. Markus,et al.  Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. , 1991 .

[38]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[39]  G. Hofstede.  Dimensions of national cultures in fifty countries and three regions , 1983 .

[40]  Toshio Yoshida,et al.  A STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-PRESENTATION IN CHILDREN , 1982 .

[41]  Henrik F. Infield.  Co-operative living in Palestine , 1946 .