Personality Domains and Self-construal in a Sociocultural Context : A Cross-Cultural Experimental Study.

Abstract

Abstract

The principal objective of this doctoral thesis is to investigate personality domains and self-construal in relation to a sociocultural context. To date, cross-cultural research reveals that self-concepts vary across cultures (Hardin et al., 2004; Keller et al., 2004; Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Vignoles et al., 2016). A growing body of evidence supports the multifactorial sources of psychological and sociocultural variability, including proximal and distal factors and their interplay. The intersection of individualism-collectivism, personality and self has emerged as an important nexus of this variation. The independent self is characterized by the notion of individuality and uniqueness; on the other hand, the interdependent self refers to the identity of connectedness with others (Singelis, 1994). Relational interdependence denotes a propensity to consider oneself in terms of close relationships (Cross et al., 2000).

This study uses a priming manipulation to examine the interaction of culture, personality and self across two disparate cultures. The same experimental design was tested twice, with a Czech sample (n=395) and a Vietnamese sample (n=168). The participants randomly divided into three subgroups were exposed to different conditions: the first to independent priming and the second to interdependent priming. Participants in the control group completed the investigation without exposure to priming. The data show a statistical difference for the Czech participants, who evaluated themselves as significantly more interdependent after the interdependent prime. However, this experiment did not detect any statistical evidence for the effect of independent priming. The lack of evidence applies to both the Czech and Vietnamese samples.

Exploratory analyses determine the positive relation between extraversion and the independent self and the negative association between the independent self and negative emotionality. At the same time, agreeableness is positively linked to the interdependent self. An increasing number of people in the same household and a lower education degree are two factors that predict a more interdependent self, while higher education is a predictor of an independent self. Adding personality domains to a multiple regression model increases the proportion of explained variance.

The discussion section aims to cover the key findings of the investigation, including the methodological challenges of the adaptations of the measures. One of the noteworthy findings is that the Vietnamese sample scored higher both in interdependency and independency. Furthermore, data from the Vietnamese participants reveal a significant association across all measured dimensions of self. These results may suggest additional intracultural variability beyond the scope of this investigation. Taken together, the mixed evidence presented in this doctoral thesis confirms and highlights the need for further research on more diversified samples.