Culture and self: are there within-culture differences in self between metropolitan areas and regional cities?
Although differences in self-conception across cultures have been well researched, regional differences within a culture have escaped attention. The present study examined individual, relational, and collective selves, which capture people's conceptions of themselves in relation to their goals, significant others, and in groups, comparing Australians and Japanese participants living in regional cities and metropolitan areas. Culture, gender, and urbanism were found to be related to individual, relational, and collective selves, respectively. Australians emphasized individual self more than Japanese, women stressed relational self more than men, and residents in regional cities regarded collective self as more important than their counterparts in metropolitan areas. These findings provide support for the tripartite division of the self and suggest a need to construct a culture theory that links self and societal processes.
Kashima
Yoshihisa
Y
Department of Psychology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. y.kashima@psych.unimelb.edu.au
Kokubo
Teruyoshi
T
Kashima
Emiko S
ES
Boxall
Dianne
D
Yamaguchi
Susumu
S
Macrae
Kristina
K
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000208:ethnology; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012924:Social Conditions; D014505:Urban Population