Culture, Self

1
Culture, Self Personality

• CH 11

2
Self

• Self-concept or self-construal
• In an individualistic culture, self is a bounded
  entity that consists of a number of internal
  attributes (needs, abilities, motives, rights,
  etc.)
• Independent construal of self individuals focus
  on personal, internal attributes
• The squeaky wheel gets the oil
• In a collectivist culture, the fundamental
  connected ness of human beings is generally
  assumed
• Interdependent construal of self the self is
  unbounded, flexible, and contingent on context
  and finely tuned interpersonal relationships.
• The nail that sticks up gets pounded down

3
Motivations

• Independent
• Internally guided
• Individualism
• Pride
• False uniqueness (the tendency for individuals
  to underestimate the commonality of desirable
  traits and to overestimate their own uniqueness)
• Embarrassment

• Interdependent
• Extended responsibilities
• Family or group expectations
• Face
• Harmony
• Shame

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Definitions

• Socially engaged emotions Emotions that lead to
  behaviors that enhance the perceived
  interdependence of self with relevant others
• Indigenous emotions Culturally-specific and
  unique
• Fago Among Ifaluk people of Micronesia, a
  combination of compassion, love and sadness
• Amae Within Japanese culture, a desire or
  expectation for others indulgence or favor

5
Definitions

• Filial piety A sense of duty and obligation to
  family members, especially parents. This is
  especially strong in Asian and other collectivist
  cultures
• Cultural psychology Culture and personality are
  mutually constructed, dynamically interacting

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CONTEXT

• High context cultures expect behaviors and
  cognitions to be responsive to context (Japan)
• Low context cultures emphasize and value
  consistency and stability across contexts (USA)