The impact of culture on adaptive versus maladaptive self-reflection.
Although recent findings indicate that people can reflect either adaptively or maladaptively over negative experiences, extant research has not examined how culture influences this process. We compared the self-reflective practices of Russians (members of an interdependent culture characterized by a tendency to brood) and Americans (members of an independent culture in which self-reflection has been studied extensively). We predicted that self-reflection would be associated with less-detrimental outcomes among Russians because they self-distance more when analyzing their feelings than Americans do. Findings from two studies supported these predictions. In Study 1, self-reflection was associated with fewer depressive symptoms among Russians than among Americans. In Study 2, Russians displayed less distress and a more adaptive pattern of construals than Americans after reflecting over a recent negative event. In addition, they self-distanced more than Americans while analyzing their feelings, and self-distancing mediated the cultural differences in self-reflection. These findings demonstrate how culture shapes the way people reflect over negative experiences.
Grossmann
Igor
I
University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1109, USA. igrossm@umich.edu
Kross
Ethan
E
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012426:Russia; D012649:Self Concept; D013850:Thinking; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult