HC 4 cultural psychology Flashcards
The self?
= cognitive representations of one’s own self, idea, or images one has about oneself and why
one behaves
Different contexts of the self?
- At home with family –> private self
- At a restaurant with friends –> relational self
- In public with strangers –> public self
Different domains of the self?
Physical, moral, personal, family, social, work, academic
Markus & Kitayama study about the differing self?
= given that self-concepts are rooted in cultural worldviews, and given that cultural
worldviews differ across cultures, it follows that the concept of self also differs in different
cultures
How would the self be described in a Japanese setting?
- something which is not really a substance or an attribute which is constant the same
- self is defined by the people you’re with
- not constant –> changes across situations
Fundamental attribution error?
= saying someone’s behavior is caused by its
personality; is much less in interdependent cultures like Japan as the self changes more often
Independent self?
–> When your host asks what you want on your bread and you have the choice between
turkey, ham and cheese you can naturally make a choice
= you yourself are making a choice
Interdependent self?
When your host asks what you want on your bread you would be bewildered,
because here the assumption is that the host would be able to ‘read’ your mind and
make the choice for you based on what you had last time. Your role would be to be
grateful for what you get as you are the guest (even if you don’t like it)
–> host and guest have a prime concern to satisfy the relational aspect of the
exchange
Inclusion of other in self scale?
= a number of questions where you visually relate yourself to others
–> Get an overview of who are closest to you, and how
interdependent you are with other people
The twenty-statement test?
= test with the format in which people receive the line “I am…” and have to fill in the blanks
–> most people come up with 7 lines
- dispositional aspect of the self is assesed
Why is the twenty-statement test easier for the interdependent self?
As interdependent self mostly describes themselves in terms of context, others and specific situations
Self-esteem?
Cognitive and affective evaluations one makes about himself/herself
Self-enhancement?
Collection of psychological processes by which one bolsters his/her self esteem
What show studies about self-esteem depending on which culture you’re living in?
- members of individualistic cultures have higher self-esteem then members from collectivistic cultures
–> collectivistic individuals had the tendency to self-efface & criticize themselves
Self-efface?
= tendency to downplay one’s virtues
Better than average effect?
= tendency of individuals to
underestimate the commonality of desirable traits and to overestimate their consequences
–> US people think not many people are better than them
–> Japanese people think many people are better than you
tactical self-enhancement facet of self-esteem?
The idea that people of different cultures all self-enhance, but they choose to do it in different ways; and it depends on each culture what is
appropriate
Mutual self-enhancement facet of self-esteem?
Achieved through the giving and receiving of compliments between partners in close relationships
The six types of identity?
Personal, collective, relational, cultural (ethnic, racial), social identity, ethnicity
Personal, collective, relational and cultural facets of identity explanation?
- Personal: attributes that distinguish you from others
- Collective: which social category you belong to
- Relational: how your identity is when you are with others
- Cultural, ethnic, racial: how you see yourself as a member of these groups
Social identity?
The part of an individual’s self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership in a social group together with the value/emotional significance attached to that mebership
Ethnicity?
Indicates cultural heritage, the experience shared by people who have a belief in a
common ancestral origin, language, traditions, and often religion and geographic territory
–> ethnic identity: ethnicity + social identity
–> This develops, you are not born with an ethnic identity
Ethnic category vs. ethnic group?
- ethnic category: given to you by others
person with migration background - ethnic group: self-categorization
Why is identity fluid?
It depends on which context and which domain you are looking at; depends on whom one is talking to and where the person is located
