Written by What shapes us?
Self-construal theory (Markus and Kitayama, 1991) poses that our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are shaped by the tapestry of cultural self-views.
Two dimensions emerge: the independent and interdependent self-construals.
These construals are the basis for this cross-cultural comparison of behaviors of Japanese, Australian, and Canadian university students.
These three groups were asked to complete an independent and interdependent cultural self construal scale.
After a week, they rated their past behavior.
The findings reveal a compelling pattern.
Cultural Heritage
The interdependent behavior score exhibits a positive correlation with interdependent self-construal scores, while displaying a negative correlation with independent self-construal scores.
Japanese participants, true to their cultural heritage, report a greater inclination toward interdependent behaviors than their Canadian and European Australian counterparts.
Yet, within the Canadian context, the plot thickens.
Asian Canadians, with their unique fusion of cultural influences, exhibit a stronger tendency toward interdependence than their European Canadian peers.
These revelations support Markus and Kitayama’s cultural self-construal hypothesis.
However, there’s a twist.
The self-view measures, while expected to follow suit, defied the study’s hypothesis.
European Canadians and European Australians, as anticipated, perceive themselves as more independent than their Japanese counterparts.
Yet, surprisingly, Canadians lean toward interdependence more than their Japanese counterparts.
However, the study’s authors believe the divergence lies within the very structure of their questionnaires.
Potential Flaw in the Study
The behavioral measure, rooted in tangible actions and future probabilities, stands as a reflection of actual performance.
It requires no comparison against others, delivering a raw and authentic portrayal.
Conversely, the self-construal measures ask participants to assess the extent to which they embody certain tendencies, lacking an objective reference point.
To top it off, social comparison creeps in, complicating matters.
For instance, in a situation of conflict-avoidance: How can one respond without drawing upon the comparisons embedded within their own social fabric?
A statement such as “I avoid having conflicts with members of my group” demands a comparison of one’s conflict-avoidance against others’.
When the behaviors of others differ across cultures, biases infiltrate our cross-cultural means of self-rating scales.
Such is the nature of the “reference group effect.”.
The Self
Still, the results pertaining to the self-construal scales may indeed reflect genuine perceptions of how the self is viewed in different cultures.
Levine and colleagues discovered that Westerners showcased greater independence than their East Asian counterparts, though the level of interdependence did not follow the anticipated trajectory.
Japan in a national-level transition is a collision of individualism and collectivism, tradition and modernity.
While the Japanese continue to behave in interdependent ways, their self-view rebels against the interdependence they embody.
Success Across Cultures 