Culture and Personality What is cultural psychology? Why should we study it? Different research approaches Structural framework Self-Ways (Markus)

Cultural Psychology Interdependence of personality and sociocultural context: Concepts of personality in specific cultures Cross-cultural comparisons of personality Search for universal aspects of personality

Psychodynamic Approach Content of the superego Societal norms for the development of psychosexual stages Societally accepted defense mechanisms Role of the unconscious (societal norms for making it conscious)

Biological Approaches Interaction between universal “nature” and cultural differences in “nurture” Search for human universals Influence of environment on cultural practices (Jared Diamond: Guns, germs, and steel)

Trait Approach Differences in factorial structure across cultures Differences in stability of factorial structure across cultures Differences in the nature of traits across cultures Etic Approach Universal Objective Outsider’s view Emic Approach Specific Subjective Insider’s view

Etic Approach Translation & back-translation of existing questionnaires into new language Reliability and validity checks Confirmatory factor analysis Yang et al (1990) Chinese “Big Five” don’t map completely on Western Factors McCrae et al. (2000) translated Big Five into Filipino  all five factors revealed

Emic Approach Use indigenous sources (e.g. dictionary, literature, open ended responses) Exploratory factor analysis to reveal new factors Cheung et al. (1997) created Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) –Factor “openness” not in CPAI –Factor “chinese tradition” not in Big Five

A Structural Framework of Cultural Psychology Historical background Cultural practices Specific social episodes Psychological tendencies  Example: Video of pre-schools in Japan and USA

Structural Framework - USA

Structural Framework - Japan

Self-Ways “Cultural and social groups in every historical period are associated with characteristic patterns of sociocultural participation or, more specifically, with characteristic ways of being a person in the world … these culturally constructed patterns, including ways of thinking, feeling, wanting, and doing, arise from living one’s life in particular sociocultural contexts - that is, contexts structured according to certain meanings, practices and institutions.” -- Markus & Kitayama In other words, self-ways are ways of being a self.

TST - Twenty Statements Test Twenty answers to the question “Who am I?” Cross cultural comparisons reveal differences in relative frequency of response categories –Psychological attributes (I am outgoing.) –Physical attributes (I am tall.) –Preferences/Interests (I like to cook.) –Goals (I want to get an A in this class.) –Attitudes (I am not a racist.) –Activities (I have a part time job.) –Social Roles (I am a student./I am a father.)

TST: Japan vs. USA Kanagawa, Cross, & Markus, 1998

Independent Self Self Mother Friend X X X X Father Co-Worker Sibling Friend

Interdependent Self Self Mother Friend X X X X Father Co-Worker Sibling Friend

Independent vs. Interdependent Self-Ways Independent - USA –Individual as fundamental societal unit –Positive, independent, unrestrained self –Choice, self-efficacy –Consistency over time Interdependent - Japan –Relationships as fundamental societal unit –Connected, harmonic, restrained self –Obligation, duty –Flexibility and improvement over time

Summary Cultural psychology studies the influence of cultural factors on people’s personality. Every approach to personality research needs to account for cross-cultural differences. Global cross-cultural differences do not imply uniformity within each culture.