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Cross-Cultural Discrepancies in Self-Appraisals

University of Waterloo, mross{at}watarts.uwaterloo.ca

Steven J. Heine

University of British Columbia

Anne E. Wilson

Wilfrid Laurier University

Shinkichi Sugimori

Gakugei University

Two studies examined self-appraisals in Japanese and Canadian samples. Study 1 included open-ended self-descriptions; Study 2 incorporated indirect measures of self-enhancing tendencies. In Study 1, the content analysis assessed spontaneous evaluations of self and others, private and relational self-statements, reflected appraisals, temporal and social comparisons, and evaluations of objects and events. Canadian participants typically provided self-enhancing self-descriptions. Japanese participants were generally evenhanded rather than self-critical or self-enhancing, although they were more favorable about relational than private aspects of self. In Study 2, Canadian participants reported that proud events felt closer in time and were easier to recall than similarly distant embarrassing events. Japanese participants reported that embarrassing and proud events felt equally far away and were equally memorable. The two studies provide evidence that Canadians possess stronger self-enhancing motivations than do Japanese and enable a cross-cultural analysis of several social psychological theories of self-appraisal.

Key Words: culture • self-enhancement • social comparisons • temporal comparisons • self-appraisals

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 9, 1175-1188 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167204274080


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