Cultural variations on optimistic and pessimistic bias for self versus a sibling: is there evidence for self-enhancement in the west and for self-criticism in the east when the referent group is specified?
A culturally relevant framework was used to examine variations on optimistic and pessimistic bias in Westerners and Easterners. Study 1 showed that 136 European Americans compared with 159 Japanese were more likely to predict typical positive events to occur to self than to a sibling. The opposite pattern emerged in the prediction of typical negative events. Study 2 replicated these findings on the basis of predictions for atypical events in 175 European Americans and 130 Japanese. Across both studies, within-groups analyses indicated that European Americans held an optimistic bias in the prediction of positive and negative events, whereas Japanese held a pessimistic bias for negative events. These findings are taken to offer support for presumed cultural differences in self-enhancement and self-criticism between Westerners and Easterners, respectively.
Chang
Edward C
EC
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA. changec@umich.edu
Asakawa
Kiyoshi
K
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D014481:United States