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The cross‐cultural universality of people's pursuit of positive self‐esteem is frequently disputed. Most research in this area has contrasted cultures of dignity (Western) and face cultures (East Asian), but less attention has been given to other cultures' views of self‐esteem. In the present work, we examined Pakistan as uniquely influenced by honour culture and South Asian argumentation culture principles, and we contrasted it with Canada (a Western culture of dignity). Across two studies, Pakistanis had less positive self‐esteem discrepancies (i.e., Pakistanis had minimal or no desire for higher self‐esteem) compared to Canadians (who desired much higher self‐esteem than they actually had). Pakistanis also believed less in the agentic benefits of high self‐esteem but more in the communal benefits of high self‐esteem than did Canadians. Differences in each cultures' beliefs about self‐esteem's causal powers partially accounted for the differences in self‐esteem discrepancies. These findings suggest unique conceptualizations of the value of self‐esteem in distinct cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the impact of individualism–collectivism on a person's willingness to donate organs. In Study 1, an online survey showed that individualism–collectivism was significantly and positively associated with participants' willingness to register as organ donors while perceived benefit mediated this relationship. Study 2 demonstrated the causal effect of individualism–collectivism on organ donation intentions using a priming technique. Participants primed with collectivism were more likely to register as organ donors than those primed with individualism. Our findings provide unique insights into whether cultural values (i.e., individualism–collectivism) can predict people's organ donation intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

System justification and meritocratic beliefs legitimize the status quo of economic, social, and political arrangements, and may correlate with favourable evaluations of governments' performance during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study furthers research on this topic by examining (1) the cultural value antecedents of system justification and meritocratic beliefs, and (2) the differential effects of these on attitudes toward ingroups and outgroups from an intergroup perspective. The results show that collectivist values positively predict system justification and meritocratic beliefs, whereas a similar effect was not observed for individualist values. As hypothesized, system justification motivation was positively associated with favourable evaluation of the Chinese government (an ingroup). By contrast, system justification and meritocratic beliefs were negatively associated with evaluation of the American government (an outgroup). We discussed the implications for understandings of the cultural value bases of system justification and meritocratic beliefs, and the relevance of the lens of intergroup relations in studying those beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on achievement motivation has mostly focused on the importance of the proximal context. As a result, the roles of more distal sociocultural and ecological factors have been neglected. However, motivation does not occur within a social vacuum; it is embedded within pervasive environments, including the broader culture (values, beliefs, and norms) and social ecology (economic and political systems, interpersonal environments, and physical environment). This article argues for the critical need to include sociocultural and ecological perspectives in motivation research. More specifically, the aims are to (a) justify why cultural and ecological perspectives are needed, (b) present a tentative conceptual framework that could account for the critical roles of sociocultural and ecological factors that underpin motivation and learning, and (c) proffer recommendations on how to study culture and ecology within the field of achievement motivation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proverbs listed by Chinese college students, who are often at the leading edge of cultural change, provide a window into the dynamic interplay of traditionality and modernity. Using thematic analysis, Study 1 examined popular proverbs listed frequently by Chinese college students (n = 298) and the embedded values. Study 2, which was a survey, examined Chinese college students' (n = 240) endorsement of individualism, collectivism, and the values identified in Study 1, and the predictive associations of individualism and collectivism with the values. Findings in Study 1 revealed 103 frequently listed proverbs and eight embedded values (i.e., Learnedness, Diligence, Practical Orientation, Collective Orientation, Social Relationship, Moral Virtue, Free Spirit, and Optimism). Findings in Study 2 indicated participants endorsed Practical Orientation and Learnedness the most, followed by Diligence, Moral Virtue, Social Relationship, Collective Orientation, Optimism, and Free Spirit. Furthermore, although Chinese young adults are more individualistic than collectivistic, collectivism remains a stronger predictor of the values uncovered in the proverbs. The value dynamics in general revealed tensions and harmony between Confucianism and Daoism and the hybridisation of tradition, modernisation, and Western individualism, thus reflecting the complexity of Chinese young adults' social psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested factors related to collective action in East Asian and Western countries. Although the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA) could explain which factors relate to collective action in Western countries, previous studies have found that some of the SIMCA variables did not predict collective action in non‐Western countries. We hypothesised that the internal locus of control would be positively related to collective action even in East Asian countries because previous studies have demonstrated that the former can positively influence proactive behaviour when factors inhibiting such behaviours exist. We analysed the 2010 World Values Survey data from seven countries (three East Asian and four Western countries). The results demonstrated that the internal locus of control was positively related to collective action more so among East Asians (Koreans, specifically those with low political interests, the Taiwanese, and Japanese people with lower income) than among Westerners. These results suggest that the internal locus of control is a key individual difference that predicts collective action in the presence of factors that inhibit such participation (e.g., cultural values, low political interest, and low income). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, some rituals show that power is represented by seat positions. The current study empirically investigated the relationship between seat position and perception of power, and the cultural differences in this relationship. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to arrange seats for people with different power. The results showed that seats for high‐power people were placed facing the door while others' seats were placed with their backs to the door. In Experiment 2, a priming task was employed to test the link between seat position and perception of power. Results revealed that after pictures of the seat facing the door were primed, judgments for high‐power words were more accurate and faster than for low‐power words, as compared to priming with the condition of the seat with its back to the door. A Stroop task was employed in Experiment 3 to explore cultural differences. Results showed that Chinese participants judged high‐power words faster in the congruent trials than in the incongruent trials, but no such difference was found in African participants. These findings suggest that the concept of power can be partly represented by seat position in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Global Trust Inventory, an integrated measure of trust toward 21 relationships and institutions, the structure of trust was explored in four East Asian societies (Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). The Western model, in which trust is distributed among seven factors representing different branches of society, did not generalize to these East Asian societies, perhaps due to differences in culture and institutional power structures. Instead, two unique structures of trust were identified. Mainland China had a top ‐ down structure of trust (the China model), in which trust is hierarchically separated between the central government and subordinate implementing bodies. The other three democratic East Asian societies shared a hybrid structure of trust (the Democratic East Asian model) that has a degree of similarity to both the China model and the Western model. Having established two similar, but still distinct models, a cross ‐ cultural comparison was made on the proportions of trust profiles generated by latent profile analysis. Mainland China had the largest proportion of people with a high propensity to trust, followed by Japan and South Korea, and Taiwan was the least trusting. Implications of the structure of trust and this alternative approach to conducting cross ‐ cultural comparisons are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mandala Model of Self (MMS) refers to the well‐functioning self leading to ultimate happiness in various cultures. This research provides the first empirical examination of the role of MMS in mental health in Confucian societies. The MMS Scale (MMSS) was developed, and its psychometric properties are described. A correlational study demonstrated that the MMSS, along with its two factors—socialized reflexivity and self‐exertion—validly measures certain mental health constructs. A quasi‐experimental study reliably distinguished persons engaged in the cultivation of the Mandala self from those who had not. Finally, a study with adolescents demonstrated that the scores of the MMSS are a better predictor of resilience than is extroversion or neuroticism. The present research provides empirical support for the theory underlying the MMS and its key contribution to mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has indicated that, reflecting East Asians' holistic attentional style, they are likely to emphasize more somatic symptoms and perceive their internal visceral states less accurately as compared with Westerners. Based on these findings, comparing representative samples of Americans and Japanese participants, this research examined whether somatosensory amplification would vary across cultures. Moreover, by controlling confounding factors, including neuroticism and chronic disorders, the possibility that the association between somatosensory amplification and negative affective states differs across cultures also was tested. The results showed that Japanese exhibit higher somatosensory amplification than do Americans. In both cultures, as neuroticism and the number of chronic disorders increased, negative affective states also increased, leading to higher somatosensory amplification. Whereas negative affective states completely mediated the paths of neuroticism and chronic disorders to somatosensory amplification in the United States, such mediation was partial in Japan. Moreover, the association between somatosensory amplification and negative affective states was weaker in Japanese than in Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture mixing is a critical consequence of globalization. Thus, predicting the effects of globalization on individual psychological processes requires understanding the effects of exposure to culture mixing on cognition, attitudes, and behaviors. Prior research has demonstrated that perceiving the mixing of own and foreign cultures can trigger subsequent shifts across a wide range of psychological processes. This article proposes that the psychological consequences of culture mixing can be understood through consideration of the specific form of culture mixing involved and the fundamental psychological functions that cultures (particularly heritage cultures) fulfill. Culture mixing itself is a diverse, heterogeneous phenomenon, and different forms of culture mixing (e.g., simultaneous co‐presence, superimposition, fusion) may activate different psychological outcomes. Furthermore, heritage cultures serve critical psychological functions by providing guides and normative standards for behavior, acting as markers that facilitate differentiation of ingroup members from those of outgroups and buffering against psychological threats. The frustration or disruption of these functions by culture mixing may serve as a basis for predicting psychological responses to mixing. Finally, this article suggests key areas for future study in culture mixing and how studying diverse patterns of culture mixing may be critical for enriching cognition and behavior in response to reminders of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Takano and Osaka (2018) tested the validity of the common view that Japanese are more collectivistic than Americans by reviewing empirical studies published mainly during recent two decades, and found that this common view was not supported by most of the reviewed studies. All the four commentaries on this review of ours shared with us the basic judgment that the common view is untenable. In this reply, we present arguments to resolve some doubts cast on our review, and then argue that situation is a key concept to investigate critical issues related to individualism and collectivism such as their dimensionality and distinction between societal level and individual level cultural difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Takano and Osaka's (1997, 1999) careful review of empirical research on individualism and collectivism in the US and Japan revealed a striking lack of support for the "common view" that Japanese individuals are typical collectivists whereas Americans are typical individualists. Two decades on, Takano and Osaka (2018) conclude that empirical studies have continued to fail to support the common view—and yet this view is stubbornly persistent in the literature. More is at stake here than the characterization of two national cultures. The common view epitomizes a widely adopted binary view of culture, which reduces the richness and complexity of global cultural diversity to an oversimplified contrast between individualist/ independent/ Western/ North American and collectivist/ interdependent/ Eastern/ East Asian categories. Unless cultural psychologists can move beyond binary thinking and research practices, correcting an inaccurate portrayal of American and Japanese cultures will be of limited benefit. Future progress might be fostered by (a) defining concepts more precisely, (b) more use of exploratory approaches, (c) wider sampling of cultural groups and contexts, (d) using available methodological guidance for cross‐cultural research, and (e) expanding research into cultural identities and stereotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Are the Japanese more collectivistic than are individualistic Americans?" Y. Takano and E. Osaka () concluded that the answer to this question is "No." We think this conclusion is misguided. The methodology employed in Takano and Osaka's literature review lacks rigor, and the research question appears to stem from a biased survey of the contemporary research literature. We also question who holds the "common view" in the first place. The common view may continue to pervade the public's understanding of psychological differences between Americans and the Japanese, but such a view is no longer embraced by researchers in the field. The field of cultural psychology has evolved greatly in the past 20 years, examining cultural influence dynamically and at more fine‐grained levels. Dissemination of this knowledge to dispel the public's common view is an issue that requires greater attention from the community of Japanese and Asian Social Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y. Takano and E. Osaka (2018, this issue) provide strong and irrefutable empirical evidence that the "common view"—that Japanese are typically collectivists whereas Americans are typically individualists—is not supported by data. Given other reviews in the past that have led to the same conclusion, in this commentary, I argue that now is the time for the field to take stock and reconsider this common view. This commentary briefly describes conceptual, empirical, and practical problems concerning the common view and offers suggestions to move beyond it. By moving beyond the common view, and other similar explanations of cross‐cultural differences, cross‐cultural researchers in particular can lead the way in facilitating a further evolution of research and theory about the link between cultures and individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been long believed that the Japanese are typical collectivists whereas Americans are typical individualists. To examine the validity of this common view, we formerly reviewed 15 empirical studies that compared Japanese and Americans regarding individualism/collectivism (I/C), and found that the overwhelming majority of those studies had not supported the common view (Takano & Osaka,). In this follow‐up, we reviewed 20 additional empirical studies (7 behavioral studies, 13 questionnaire studies), most of which had been published after the former review. When combined with the formerly reviewed 15 studies, 19 studies reported no clear difference, and 11 studies reported that Japanese were more individualistic than Americans. These 30 studies are inconsistent with the common view. Only 5 studies supported the common view, even when we included 3 studies whose validity was questionable. After it was formerly found that the common view was not supported empirically, a variety of alternative accounts were presented regarding the reason for this finding. We examined three major accounts in light of the reviewed studies and found that none of them was congruent with the empirical data. Thus, it seems to be reasonable to conclude that the common view is not valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current 8-year panel study explored changes in marital satisfaction among 614 married middle-aged persons with seventh-grade children. It also examined how individual health (physical health and depressive moods) and role changes (parenting transitions and life stress) were related to trajectories of marital satisfaction and investigated the buffering effect of family cohesion on these associations. Growth curve analyses show an inverted-U shape in marital satisfaction during middle age. This indicates that regardless of the gender or age of the respondents, marital satisfaction among middle-aged adults increased when their children were in the 9th and 12th grade, and then declined when their children were in their sophomore year of college. Declining physical health and an increase in depressive moods were related to a drop in marital satisfaction. Stressful events in midlife had negative effects on marital satisfaction, and family cohesion served as a buffer to mitigate the adverse impact of life stress on marital satisfaction. Overall, these results highlight the role of adolescent children in understanding why marital satisfaction changes among middle-aged parents and emphasize the importance of health and life stress in relation to midlife marital satisfaction. These findings are discussed with life course perspectives and Taiwanese cultural values in relation to familism and academic achievement among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural influences on the body image of 133 female and 99 male Japanese adolescents aged 12-18 years (M = 15.9, SD = 1.2) were compared to those of a databank of 1233 female and 1149 male adolescents also aged 12-18 years (M = 14.9, SD = 1.5) from five cultures - Chinese, Malaysian, Australian, Tongan, and indigenous Fijian - surveyed previously using identical body image measures (Fuller-Tyszkiewicz et al., 2012). Japanese adolescents reported the highest levels of body dissatisfaction despite possessing among the lowest body mass index (BMI) and also reported among the highest levels of media influence on their body image. Subsequent path analyses revealed that for Japanese adolescents cultural identification with modern Japanese values were associated with increased body dissatisfaction, and that this association was mediated by level of media influence. These results highlight the importance of cultural influences, as well as individual differences in cultural values, in shaping Japanese adolescents' body image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new framework for understanding cultural differences in self-construal by noting the duality of this construct. Based on the analysis of the adaptive roles of self-construal, we predicted that a US-Japan difference in self-construal exists in the contrast between self-expression and rejection avoidance. We confirmed these predictions using newly constructed self-construal scales. Compared to Japanese respondents, American respondents were higher on self-expression and lower on rejection avoidance. Our findings regarding the contrast between distinctiveness of the self and harmony seeking, which are traditionally discussed as the core features of independence and interdependence, did not support the standard cultural psychological view. The two groups of respondents did not differ on distinctiveness of the self and the American respondents were higher on harmony seeking than were Japanese respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the psychosocial consequences of emotion suppression and the moderating effect of social context in the link between emotion suppression and psychosocial functioning with two samples of Chinese undergraduate students. Suppression of happiness and sadness in five social contexts (with family members, close friends, classmates, teachers and strangers) and psychosocial functioning were investigated. The results indicate that the general level of happiness suppression negatively predicted individuals' psychosocial functioning, while sadness suppression was positively associated with psychosocial functioning. The moderating effect of social context was significant in the association between happiness suppression and psychosocial functioning, while its moderating effect was not significant for sadness. Moreover, the context differentiation (CD) of happiness suppression positively predicted psychosocial functioning, while the effect of CD of sadness suppression was not significant. The results of the present study extend the existing literature by suggesting the importance of taking social context and the specific type of emotion into account when examining the psychosocial adaptation of emotion suppression. New findings were also added to understand the effects of emotion suppression on psychosocial functioning for Chinese people. In the Chinese cultural context, which emphasizes regulating one's behaviours based on situational requirements, low levels of happiness suppression and high levels of sadness suppression appeared to be a psychosocially adaptive emotional display pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores at the national level beliefs about world history and their relationship with cultural values and attitudes towards a national war. A country-level analysis of university samples from 40 nations involving 7279 students showed that beliefs about history as a superior plan, as social progress, and lawful processes were positively associated with lower human development, and materialistic and power distance values, as well as with willingness to fight in a future national war. Further, beliefs about history as a superior plan, as social progress, and as lawful process were positively related with a stronger disposition to fight, even after controlling for cultural values and human development. Results are discussed in the framework of conceptualizing social representations of history as part of national political cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people develop a sense of personal identity during the transition to adulthood, a time when individuals choose and adhere to a specific set of goals, values, and beliefs. In addition, in many contemporary Asian societies, youth are expected to acquire and balance traditional and Western cultural views of the self - that is, independent and interdependent self-construal. To understand the relationships between the personal and cultural facets of the transition to adulthood, this study examined (a) associations between personal identity and well-being and (b) the possible moderating role of cultural self-construal (independence and interdependence) in this link. These hypotheses were tested in a sample of 520 Japanese university students (52.6% female). The results indicated that personal identity predicted each dimension of well-being, suggesting that the importance of personal identity in promoting youth's well-being can be understood as a universal phenomenon. Moreover, because the moderating role of self-construal in the links between identity and well-being was found to be limited, personal identity can be viewed as operating separately from self-construal in well-being to a large extent. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify social-psychological predictors of pro-environmental consumption intention in rural China. To this end, a proposed conceptual model was tested by analyzing the survey data derived from 972 rural respondents in Jiangxi province in south-eastern China. Results showed that the endorsement of traditional cultures (man-nature orientation and collectivism) was linked with pro-environmental consumption behaviuor, but was mediated by intentions. Personal attitudes (environmental cognition and environmental affect) and reference groups influenced both intention and behaviour. The results also provided good evidence of the intention-behaviour relationship. These findings provided a better understanding of the process in which Chinese rural residents developed their pro-environmental consumption behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine an integrated model of the work-family interface ( WFI) linking work-family demands (workload and family conflict), resources (supervisory support and family support) and role satisfaction in a Chinese context. The four-factor structure of WFI comprises direction of influence (work to family vs family to work) and types of effect (work-family conflict vs work-family enrichment). A longitudinal design was used to collect data from 409 Chinese employees at three time points, separating measures of antecedents ( T1), WFI ( T2) and outcomes ( T3) in time. The results based on structural equation modelling ( SEM) reveal that: (1) the direction and types of effect were two underlying dimensions of the WFI, supporting the four-factor structure; (2) demands were more strongly related to conflict, while resources were more strongly related to enrichment; (3) work-family conflict and enrichment were related to role satisfaction, regardless of the direction of influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate interactions between language and culture shape bilingual and bicultural individuals' psychological responses to social contexts. Language carries cultural scripts, ideals, and practices, which can be activated by situational cues. In the process of managing two acquired languages, bilinguals shift their self-perception and self-presentation to accommodate the prototypical norms characteristic of the culture being primed by language use. Cultural mindset can explain such language priming effects. In the process of negotiating two intersecting cultures, integrating bicultural identities is central to psychological adjustment among individuals experiencing immigration-based and globalization-based acculturation, whereas bilingual or trilingual competence is important to sojourners' adjustment. The present paper reviews empirical work along these lines of research and suggests that it is possible for alternation and integration to coexist within the same individuals who integrate their bicultural identities and alternate their behavioural responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between leader political skill and team performance, as well as the mediating (team cohesion) and moderating (power distance) variables of the relationship. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from employees in a food service company. Analyses of multisource and lagged data from 59 teams and 276 members indicated that leader political skill was positively related to team performance via team cohesion. Further, both the relationship between leader political skill and team cohesion and the indirect relationship between leader political skill and team performance were stronger when teams exhibited lower power distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luxury goods symbolically represent social segregation and exclusion, thereby communicating superiority, exclusivity and distance. In three experiments, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to luxury advertisements in Chinese samples activates mental representations similar to those of social exclusion. Participants were more likely to perceive being rejected by models in the luxury advertisements than models in the non-luxury advertisements. Moreover, exposure to luxury advertisements increased participants' expectations of being rejected in a subsequent ambiguous social interaction. Finally, looking at luxury advertisements resulted in decreased life satisfaction, and this effect was more pronounced for participants with high rejection sensitivity than those with low rejection sensitivity. Overall, the results suggest that luxury advertisements evoke feelings of social exclusion in Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country with Malay, Chinese and Indian being the dominant ethnic groups. This paper investigates the three ethnic cultures in Malaysia by examining the individual-level values of managers and professionals. Based on 528 responses to a Schwartz Value Survey ( SVS) questionnaire, the paper identifies partial convergence of the value systems of Malay, Chinese and Indian people. It was found that the three ethnic groups do not differ significantly in the individualistic value dimensions of Self-enhancement and Openness-to-change. However, Malays are found to be more conservative and less self-transcendent than Chinese or Indians, while Chinese and Indians attribute the same importance to these two sets of values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explains how the meta-theoretical framework of critical realism addresses methodological issues of concern to social psychologists and social scientists. The article outlines key tenets of critical realism - its notion of the stratified nature of reality and generative mechanisms as powers in natural and social objects that cause things; its notion of knowledge of reality as stratified rather than only empirical; its acceptance of epistemological but not judgmental relativism; and its monist ontology. The article then introduces realist social theory to provide a framework for understanding the society-person connection. It explains how issues relating to culture, context, and society raised in the indigenous psychology English literature might be addressed from a critical realist perspective. Some implications arising from adopting a critical realist perspective in research practice are outlined and social psychologists and social scientists are encouraged to explore the potential of critical realism as a meta-theoretical framework and new paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were performed to examine the effects of red and blue on the emotional pleasure of Chinese people. Experiment 1 explored the effects of the 'physical' colours red and blue on emotion, and the results showed that red induced positive and negative emotion, while blue only induced positive emotion. Experiment 2 further explored the effects of the 'verbal' colours red and blue on emotion, and the results showed that red induced only positive emotion, while blue induced neither positive nor negative emotion. The findings indicate that the influence of colour on emotion is rooted in both natural and social associations. For Chinese, the associations between blue and positive emotion, and red and negative emotion, were natural associations; however, the associations between red and positive emotion were social associations. Moreover, physical colour and verbal colour stimuli induced emotions by activating different mechanisms: physical colour induced emotions via both natural and social associations, whereas verbal colour induced emotions via social associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of this study were to investigate how cultural values are related to counterproductive work behaviour (CWB), and to examine whether individuals' job stress acts as a mediator between cultural types and CWB. Using an anonymous questionnaire survey, the sample was comprised of 440 employees working in government institutes and private sectors in Thailand. The results show that job stress not only has a direct relationship to CWB, but also partially mediates the relationship between cultural values and CWB. The strong mediating links were between horizontal collectivism and CWB and between vertical individualism and CWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese society is characterized by emerging fragmentation and by the coexistence of traditional and Western values, goals and norms. In this multifaceted environment bi-cultural selves, which encompass social and individual orientations, may emerge. The aim of this paper is to explore if features of bi-cultural selves concerning interactions, emotions, and values are reflected in online public discussions in China. In order to address this question, we explored two of the most popular bulletin board systems (BBSs): Tian Ya and Feng Huang Forums. BBSs attract almost one third of Internet users in China and provide these users with a forum to carry out public dialogue; BBSs are thus an ideal place to study how the self is socially shaped in public communication. A sample of 6109 messages was subjected to quantitative content analysis. Results show that twofold self-construal, corresponding to the individual- and social-oriented self, are (also) detected in BBSs forum content: direct and polemic content coexist with conciliatory content; ego-focused and other-focused emotions are almost equally as frequent as one another; and traditional values are evoked together with the quest for truth and individual rights. Moreover, three typologies of Internet users (proactive, ambivalent, and follower), which were identified on the basis of the quality of their online interactions, show different patterns of emotions and values. We may thus conclude that alternative ways of constructing self-other and self-society relationships currently coexist in China and that these alternative views confront each other on BBS forums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between relational victimization and socio-cognitive patterns (i.e. hostile attribution biases and emotional distress) or social-psychological adjustment problems (i.e. depressive symptoms) in Japanese and European American children ( N = 272; ages 9-10). Results showed that relational victimization, which was conceptually different from physical victimization, was associated with a greater level of emotional distress for an overall sample; however, the links between relational victimization and hostile attribution biases and depressive symptoms were evidenced only for Japanese children. A follow-up analysis revealed that hostile attribution biases had a direct effect on depressive symptoms for European American children; however, these biases mediated the link between relational victimization and depressive symptoms for Japanese children. These findings are discussed from normative and cross-cultural perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status, parental control, and authoritarianism in Iran. A sample of 460 students was surveyed from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in Iran. Results demonstrated that subjective socioeconomic status, parental control, and parents' education have significant influence on authoritarianism. Further analysis showed that parental control partially mediates parents' education association with authoritarianism with a relatively high effect size. These findings highlight the importance of parental control and socioeconomic status in the development of authoritarianism in Iran. Furthermore, the higher authoritarianism of low socioeconomic status is mostly due to lower education levels rather than the income of the family. The findings were discussed with regards to literature as well as the socio-cultural sphere of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inglehart-Welzel's 'Traditional-Rational' Index has been widely accepted as a way to summarize changes in values between agricultural and industrial societies. An empirical re-examination of the Index using the most recent World Values Survey data, however, suggests that it fails to represent the value profiles of mainland Chinese. I introduce a five-item measurement called ' Confucian Index of interpersonal relations'. It aims to capture some salient values in Chinese culture and show that, in China, Confucian values that govern interpersonal relations within one's immediate social environment are not in conflict with support for democratic government and social liberal values, such as tolerance and trust. The opposite is very much true in the rich West, where those who endorse 'Confucian' values are less tolerant of social diversity and where Inglehart's Index does make a lot of sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the fundamental concepts and reasons behind the emergence of religious terror activities in Indonesia, providing an 'insider' rather than an 'outsider' view. Data were collected from a total of 40 religious terror activists in Indonesia using a set of focused group discussions and interviews. The reasons they provided for their terror activities were as follows: (1) Indonesia is seen as being in a state of war (thus justifying a defensive attack); (2) Suicide bombing is believed to be noble; (3) The West (as a whole) is targeted as it is considered the invader of Muslim countries and a representative of evil; the Indonesian government is viewed as its corrupt ally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Islamist forms of terrorism have received a great deal of attention from scholars, insider accounts by indigenous scholars are still under-represented. This Special Issue of the Asian Journal of Social Psychology brings together three articles on religious terrorism and sacred violence in Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic state. They bring together qualitative methods, including interviews with terrorist members of KOMPAK and Jemaah Islamiyah (including the Bali Bombers), with quantitative methods using structural equation modelling to explain a national representative sample's attitudes towards sacred violence. The articles converge towards an indigenous theory of Islamist terrorism for Indonesia involving three steps: (i) existential threat (triggered by violence inflicted on Muslims, nationally or internationally, and perceptions of the impurity of the secular Indonesian government), (ii) self-categorization of the world into infidels and believers (thus arguing that the current situation is a state of war where violence against non-combatants is justified), and (iii) jihadi ideology as the trigger for turning existential threat into religious violence. It is the interpretation of scripture offered by trusted leaders, often reinforced by oaths of obedience, rather than scripture itself that fuels the indigenous psychology of violent (lesser) jihad presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that the current concept of interdependent self-construal as 'harmony seeking' has overlooked a strategic aspect of interdependence, which we term 'rejection avoidance'. Using newly constructed scales of interdependent self-construal, one for harmony seeking and one for rejection avoidance, we find that Japanese respondents showed lower independence and higher rejection avoidance than Americans, while no cultural difference was found in harmony seeking. These findings explain why past efforts to demonstrate cultural differences in interdependent self-construal using self-report measures exclusively focusing on the harmony seeking aspect have failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the effects of a paternalistic and empowering leadership style on organizational citizenship behaviour ( OCB) in an experimental design using 100 Turkish and 100 Dutch students who held part-time jobs. Confirming our expectations, a paternalistic leadership style had a more positive effect on job dedication and organizational support in Turkey than in the Netherlands. Contradicting our expectations, an empowering leadership style did not have a more positive effect on any of the OCB dimensions in the Netherlands than it did in Turkey. However, in the Netherlands an empowering leadership style had a stronger effect on interpersonal facilitation, job dedication, and organizational support than a paternalistic leadership style. Paternalistic and empowering leadership styles both had positive effects on OCB dimensions in Turkey. As expected, collectivism moderated the relationship between paternalistic leadership style and other oriented OCB (i.e., interpersonal facilitation). Specifically, people who had more collectivistic tendencies were more positively influenced by a paternalistic leader than people who had low collectivistic tendencies in both countries. However, individualism did not have any moderating effects on the relationship between empowering leadership style and self-oriented OCB (i.e., job dedication). Our findings are relevant for understanding the effects of leadership styles and cultural orientations on self- versus other-oriented OCB in Turkey and the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between conscientiousness and job performance has been found to be nonlinear in the West, which challenges conceptually and empirically the traditional assumption of the single linear relationship. In this research, we examined the nonlinear effects of conscientiousness on both overall job performance and performance dimensions (i.e., task performance, adaptive performance and contextual performance) in the Chinese context. The results of our two studies supported some evidence for the nonlinear effect of conscientiousness on overall job performance. In addition, it was found that conscientiousness has different (linear or nonlinear) effects on performance dimensions. These findings suggest that the nonlinear effects of conscientiousness on job performance deserve further investigation, and a distinction should be made with regard to job performance in personnel evaluation. Results are discussed in terms of the significance of considering the nonlinear relationship between conscientiousness and performance criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We administered a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to 133 female and 99 male Japanese high school students 13-18 years old ( M = 15.9, SD = 1.57) from the Kansai area to examine cultural influences on their body image and body change behaviours. Our aim was to ascertain the independent and combined influences from traditional Japanese, modern Japanese, and Western values. Cluster analyses identified four 'acculturative' groups: 'anti-modern', 'traditional', 'pro-modern/anti-traditional', and 'pro- Western/anti- Japanese'. Pro-modern and pro- Western adolescents were most dissatisfied with their bodies, and pro-Western adolescents were also most likely to attempt weight loss. The results demonstrate the value of assessing cultural interactions in Japan along three dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined whether cultural differences in the better-than-average effect (the tendency to view oneself as better than average) would vary with trait desirability and used Koreans and Americans as representatives of East Asian and Western cultures, respectively. In Study 1, the author found that the magnitude of cultural difference in the better-than-average effect varied between Americans and Koreans. Specifically, Korean participants failed to exhibit the better-than-average effect for any negative trait. In contrast, Americans tended to display the better-than-average effect more than Koreans, and cultural difference was greater for negative traits than for positive traits. In Study 2 as a conceptual replication of Study 1, it was also found that the magnitude of cultural difference in the better-than-average effect was significantly and negatively correlated with trait desirability. In Study 3 to pin down the underlying mechanism that gives rise to cultural differences, it was found that while the self-effacing orientation of the modesty norm mediates the cross-cultural difference, the other-enhancing orientation moderates it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies examined topic avoidance in Chinese and Taiwanese opposite-sex friendships and romantic relationships. Five areas of topic avoidance emerged through analytic induction and cluster analysis: negative appraisal, relational issues, sexual issues, politics, and personal experience. Partner protection, negative relational impact, and self inefficacy emerged as the most common reasons for avoidance. Results revealed that friends, relative to romantic partners, engaged in higher levels of topic avoidance. Taiwanese participants, moreover, avoided discussing politics to a greater extent than did mainland Chinese participants. Lacking closeness was the main reason behind avoidance of political discussion. Topic avoidance was also linked to relationship quality, as relational satisfaction negatively predicted relational issue avoidance and topic avoidance breadth (i.e. the number of topics regularly avoided in the relationship). The authors explain these and other findings based on Chinese cultural codes and historically-embedded concepts that shape interpersonal interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we clarified the multiple-level effects of Confucian-related work values, including self-discipline and interpersonal ethics, on the performance of individuals and the team. Empirical data of 70 work teams with 472 team members from Taiwanese enterprises were collected to test our hypotheses. Results showed that, at the group level, shared team values of interpersonal ethics were positively related to team performance through the partial mediation of team cooperation. For cross-level effect, shared team values of interpersonal ethics and individual member's self-discipline values were both positively related to individual performance. The implications of Confucian dynamism work values on contemporary organizational management and indigenous Chinese team theories were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to calls regarding the applicability of self-leadership measurement in Eastern (collectivistic) and Western (individualistic) cultures, this study examined the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the modified self-leadership questionnaire (MSLQ). The sample consisted of 395 Chinese students and 241 Australian students. Results revealed that the modified self-leadership questionnaire exhibited a satisfactory condition of psychometric properties across cultures. A series of multi-sample confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the cross-cultural similarity of an 11-factor model across the Chinese and Australian samples. The modified self-leadership questionnaire was also found to possess measurement invariance, suggesting that it is appropriate for cross-cultural research assessing differences of self-leadership behaviour across Chinese and Western cultures. Implications for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between resource acquisition strategies, social functioning and social status in Chinese children. A sample of nearly 500 Chinese children in elementary schools in Shanghai, China, participated in this study. The authors divided the sample into five resource acquisition strategies; based on self-reported use of coercive and pro-social strategies of resource control, they were 'bistrategic controllers' (Machiavellians), 'coercive controllers', 'pro-social controllers', 'non-controllers', or 'typicals'. The results revealed that bistrategic controllers were the most effective in resource control, followed by pro-social and coercive controllers: non-controllers were the least effective. It also indicated that bistrategic and coercive controllers exhibited poor social functioning and low peer status; in contrast, 'typical' controllers emerged as possessing positive social functioning and high peer status. In addition, non-controllers were not at risk with regard to social competence. The results indicate specific cultural 'meanings' of different resource acquisition strategies in Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese participants in Study 1 exhibited a self-effacing tendency when no reason for their self-evaluation was provided. However, they exhibited a self-enhancing tendency when they were offered a monetary reward for the correct evaluation. In Study 2, Americans, especially American men, exhibited a self-enhancing tendency whereas Japanese exhibited a self-effacing tendency when no reason for making the evaluation was presented. This cultural difference disappeared when participants were provided with a monetary reward for correctly evaluating their performance level. These results support the view that the modesty observed in self-evaluation among Japanese participants is a 'default strategy' to avoid offending others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socially desirable responding was tested as a mediator of American and Japanese college student differences in display rules. Americans endorsed the expression of anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness, and surprise more than the Japanese. Americans also exhibited more self-deceptive enhancement than the Japanese, and self-deceptive enhancement partially mediated country differences on the endorsement of anger, disgust, happiness, and surprise, but not contempt and fear. These findings highlight the role of self-deceptive enhancement in contributing to expressive display rules and support the point of view that socially desirable responding is a reflection of one's personality and culture rather than a statistical nuisance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicultural individuals vary in the degree to which their two cultural identities are integrated - Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). Among Asian-Americans, for example, some experience their Asian and American sides as integrated (high BII) whereas others experience the two as divided (low BII). Past research on social judgement found that individual differences in BII affect the way biculturals respond to cultural cues or norms in their situation. Asian-Americans with low BII tend to contrast to the cultural norm (e.g. they exhibit typically American judgements when in Asian cultural situations) rather than assimilate to them, a response observed more among high BII individuals (e.g., they exhibit typically Asian judgements when in Asian cultural situations). Research has interpreted the contrastive response as reflecting implicit identity motives, yet past studies used measures that make cultural differences salient. Conscious awareness of the experimental hypothesis could elicit contrastive responses. The present research assessed forecasts of others' behaviour in which cultural group differences are less obvious: Asians, compared to Westerners, forecast more positive behaviours from others. In three experiments with Asian-Americans, we found the contrastive response by low BII individuals persisted. They made more positive forecasts after exposure to American versus Asian cultural cues. This suggests that the moderating role of BII on responses to cultural cues is not a matter of demand characteristics or limited to stereotypical cultural differences. Implications for bicultural identity, implicit processes, and organizational behaviour are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]