The Cultural Psychology of Personality
Abstract
Research in cultural psychology suggests that person is a social and collective construction made possible through an individual's participation in the practices and meanings of a given cultural context. This perspective can make a contribution to some contemporary controversies in personality. In the current article, it is argued that although most conceptions of personality in academic psychology are rooted in a model of the person as independent, in many Asian cultures, personality is constructed on the basis of an alternative model of the person as interdependent. In these cultures, then, personality is experienced and understood as behavior that is characteristic of the person in relationship with others in particular social contexts. Some initial evidence is reviewed and questions for future research are suggested.
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Cultural differences account for variances in how psychological processes like happiness are conceptualized between Western and Asian people.
“Cultural differences essentially accounts for the variances on how psychological processes like happiness can be conceptualized between Western and Asian people (Markus & Kitayama, 1998).”
From Exploring Filipino adolescents’ conception of happiness (2012) · cites this paper as Markus & Kitayama, 1998
Individuals in Asian cultures have lower regards on self-esteem and self-consistency in predicting psychological outcomes as opposed to higher levels of such variables from people in individualistic societies.
“The need to specify individual characteristics can be demarcated as well on the fact that individuals in the Asian cultures have lower regards on self-esteem and self-consistency in predicting psychological outcomes as opposed to higher levels of such variables from people in individualistic societies (Markus & Kitayama, 1998).”
From Exploring Filipino adolescents’ conception of happiness (2012) · cites this paper as Markus & Kitayama, 1998
Cites
Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation.
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.98.2.224 · Cited by 21,995 · see citing works
Self-citationMischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (1995) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.102.2.246 · Cited by 3,889 · see citing works
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Individualism-collectivism and personality
Triandis, H. C. (2001) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/1467-6494.696169 · Cited by 2,589 · see citing works
The Relationship Context of Human Behavior and Development
Reis, H. T., Collins, W. A., & Berscheid, E. (2000) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.6.844 · Cited by 853 · see citing works
Self as Cultural Product: An Examination of East Asian and North American Selves
Heine, S. J. (2001) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/1467-6494.696168 · Cited by 531 · see citing works
Need Satisfaction and Well-Being: Testing Self-Determination Theory in Eight Cultures
Church, A. T., Katigbak, M. S., Locke, K. D., Zhang, H., Shen, J., de Jesús Vargas-Flores, J., Ibáñez-Reyes, J., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Curtis, G. J., Cabrera, H. F., et al. (2013) · Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology · doi:10.1177/0022022112466590 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
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Culture analysis and metaphor psychotherapy with Arab-Muslim clients
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Arpaci, I., Baloğlu, M., & Kesici, Ş. (2018) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.09.034 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Exploring Filipino adolescents’ conception of happiness
Datu, J. A. D., & Valdez, J. P. M. (2012) · International Journal of Research Studies in Psychology · doi:10.5861/ijrsp.2012.251 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
- Authors
- Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Kyoto University (JP)
- Venue
- Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 1998-01
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 63-87
- ISSN
- 0022-0221 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-5422
- OpenAlex
- W2137059954
- Cited by
- 684
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 89 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 38
- FWCI
- 20.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Representations and Identity
- Keywords
- interdependent self-construal, independent self, Asian culture, cross-cultural personality
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