title: My nation, my self: divergent framings of America influence American selves.
abstract: Current public discourse calls for America to act more interdependently in the world or act more like a conjoint agent. America and American selves, however, are typically associated acting independently or disjoint agency. Since nation is a significant sociocultural source of self, the authors examine what happens to American selves if America is instead associated with conjoint agency. Study 1 surveyed participants in America and nine nations (N=610) about America's role in the world and found that although people currently associate America with disjoint agency, they overwhelmingly prefer America to be a conjoint agent. Studies 2-4 demonstrated that framing America's role in the world with conjoint agency rather than disjoint agency led Americans to see themselves more positively (Studies 2 and 3) and be less individualistic in their self-descriptions and actions (Study 4). The results reveal how changes in the sociocultural context can catalyze a corresponding change in the selves that inhabit that context.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, CA 94305-2310, USA. maryamh@stanford.edu
authors.forename: MarYam G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hamedani
authors.forename: Hazel Rose
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Markus
authors.forename: Alyssa S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D007391:International Cooperation; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011639:Public Opinion; D012649:Self Concept; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult