Models of the self: self-construals and gender.
The authors first describe individual differences in the structure of the self. In the independent self-construal, representations of others are separate from the self. In the interdependent self-construal, others are considered part of the self (H. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991). In general, men in the United States are thought to construct and maintain an independent self-construal, whereas women are thought to construct and maintain an interdependent self-construal. The authors review the psychological literature to demonstrate that many gender differences in cognition, motivation, emotion, and social behavior may be explained in terms of men's and women's different self-construals. Recognition of the interdependent self-construal as a possible alternative conception of the self may stimulate new investigations into the ways the self influences a person's thinking, feeling, and behaving.
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Department of Psychology, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames 50011, USA. scross@iastate.edu
Madson
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D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior