Rethinking culture and self-construal: China as a middle land.
Amid criticisms of current paper-and-pencil type questionnaires measuring self-construal across cultural groups, the authors used a graphic representation scale to examine whether Anglo Canadians (N = 220) were more independent than Mainland Chinese (N = 196) and Indians (N = 212) in construing their relationships with closest family member, family members, closest friend, friends, (other) relatives, colleagues, and neighbors. Data generated 5 intriguing findings: (a) Chinese were more interdependent than Canadians but less so than Indians, indicating that Chinese culture has become more individualistic. (b) Canadians were more independent than Chinese in 6 relationship dimensions but were as interdependent as Chinese in self-closest-friend connectedness, somewhat contradicting 1 assumption of theories of independent-interdependent self-construal and individualism-collectivism (I-C). (c) Canadians were more independent than Indians in all relationship dimensions, supporting theories of independent-interdependent self-construal and I-C. (d) Chinese were as interdependent as Indians in self-closest-family-member, self-close-family-members, and self-relatives connectedness but more independent than Indians in the other categories of self-other relationships. (e) Participants' age did not have strong correlations with variables measuring self-construal in any sample, indicating that a person's attachment style may not change greatly over a lifespan. The authors discussed theoretical and methodological implications.
Li
Han Z
HZ
Department of Psychology, College of Arts, Social and Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada. lih@unbc.ca
Zhang
Zhi
Z
Bhatt
Gira
G
Yum
Young-Ok
YO
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001290:Attitude / Q000208:ethnology*; D002170:Canada; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires