Culture & Personality

Kimberley A. Clow

kclow2@uwo.cahttp://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/257e-570

Office Hour: Thursdays 2-3pmOffice: S302

Outline

What is CultureApproaches to Culture

Comparative ApproachEmic vs. Etic

Types of CultureEvokedTransmittedUniversal

Summary

How Do We Compare?

In some ways We are like all other people We are like some others We are like nobody else

How does culture shape who we are?

What is Culture?

DefinitionsShared system of meaning that provide the

standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating, communicating, and acting among those who share a language, a historic period, and a geographic location

The way people understand their world and make sense of it through a shared system of meaning

Why Study Culture?

ReasonsDiscover whether concepts of personality

that are prevalent in one culture are also applicable in other cultures

Discover whether cultures differ in the levels of particular personality traits

Discover whether the factor structure of personality traits varies across cultures

Discover whether certain features of personality are universal

Approaches to Culture

How to handle cultural differencesDenialDeconstructionismComparative Approach

Three Major Types of CulturesEvoked CultureTransmitted CultureCultural Universals

Culture in Personality Theories

Psychodynamic ApproachFreud’s TheoryJung’s Archetypes

Learning ApproachAllport

Culture is part of what it means to be a person

Trait ApproachDo factors hold up across cultures?

Comparative Approach

EticUniversalObjectiveOutsider’s view

EmicSpecificSubjectiveInsider’s view

An Example

Personality in SpainDo people use the same personality traits in

the U.S. and Spain?

Emic ApproachIndigenous assessment of personality

Spanish personality adjectives

Etic ApproachImported assessment of personality

Translated Big Five questionnaire

Resulting Factors

Circumplex Model of Affect

Etic vs. Emic

Evoked Culture

A way of considering culture that concentrates on phenomena that are triggered in different ways by different environmental conditionsA universal underlying mechanismEnvironmental differences in activating that

underlying mechanismExample

Southern Culture of Honor

Southern Culture of Honor

Transmitted Culture

Representations (ideas, values, beliefs, attitudes) that exist originally in at least one person's mind that are transmitted to other minds through observation or interaction with the original person

Might explain cultural differences inMorals & ValuesSelf-Concepts

Etiquette: East vs. West

Displays of TemperTone of VoiceModesty vs. PrideLaughingComplimentsUsing First Names

TouchingDisclosuresOffensive

GesturesAgreeingFormalityFace

The Self

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

JapanUSA

Structural Framework - USA

Structural Framework - Japan

Historical Background

Cultural Practices

Specific Episodes

Psychological Tendencies

Religion: - Buddhism (compassion, Nirvana)

- Confucianism (roles, respect for ancestors)

Linguistics: Word for "self" = "my share"

Proverbs: "a nail that stands out is hammered down"

Legal System: - duty - remorse

Host decides for the guest.

Children eat, sleep, learn in groups.

Compliments are refused.

"Aren't you ashamed?"

- Focus on group context - Self is context dependent - Improvement "Fitting in"

Independent Self

Self

Mother

Friend

Father

Co-Worker

Sibling

FriendFriend

Interdependent Self

Self

Mother

Friend

Father

Co-Worker

Sibling

FriendFriend

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Variation Within Cultures

-0.5

-0.3

-0.1

0.1

0.3

0.5

Low High

Identification

AmericaIndonesia

-0.5

-0.3

-0.1

0.1

0.3

0.5

Low High

Identification

AmericaIndonesia

Individualism

Collectivism

VERTICAL

HORIZONTAL

INDIVIDUALISTICCOLLECTIVISTIC

USAIndia

Israel? Sweden

Cultural Values

Hofstede studied IBM employees in 50 different countriesFound four cultural value dimensions

Power DistanceCanada vs. India

Uncertainty AvoidanceJapan vs. Hong-Kong

Individualism / CollectivismUS vs. China

Masculinity / FemininityBrazil vs. Mexico

A Different Take

TrompenaarsIndividualism vs. Collectivism

US vs. ChinaUniversalism vs. Particularism

Germany vs. Hong-KongNeutral vs. Affective Relationships

Japan vs. MexicoSpecific vs. Diffuse RelationshipsAchievement vs. Ascription

UK vs. India

Cultural Universals

Attempt to identify features of personality that appear to be universal, or present in most or all cultures

Some ExamplesGender StereotypesEmotionPersonality Factors

Emotional Expressions

Universality in Emotional Expressions

Summary

Cultural psychology studies the influence of cultural factors on people’s personality

Every approach to personality needs to account for cross-cultural differences

Global cross-cultural differences do not imply uniformity within each cultureSubcultures do exist! Individual differences are also present