title: Ethnicity moderates the outcomes of self-enhancement and self-improvement themes in expressive writing.
abstract: The current study examined whether writing content related to self-enhancing (viz., downward social comparison and situational attributions) and self-improving (viz., upward social comparison and persistence) motivations were differentially related to expressive writing outcomes among 17 Asian American and 17 European American participants. Content analysis of the essays revealed no significant cultural group differences in the likelihood of engaging in self-enhancing versus self-improving reflections on negative personal experiences. However, cultural group differences were apparent in the relation between self-motivation processes and changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms at 3-month follow-up. Among European Americans, writing that reflected downward social comparison predicted positive outcomes, whereas persistence writing themes were related to poorer outcomes. For Asian Americans, writing about persistence was related to positive outcomes, whereas downward social comparison and situational attributions predicted poorer outcomes. Findings provide evidence suggesting culturally distinct mechanisms for the effects of expressive disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Anna S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Andrea N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Niles
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coello
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lieberman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Ahra C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Annette L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stanton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D014956:Writing; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997 Apr;72(4):863-71
references.pmid: 9108699
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1984 May;95(3):542-75
references.pmid: 6399758
references.citation: Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2007 Feb;33(2):238-50
references.pmid: 17259584
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1988 Mar;103(2):193-210
references.pmid: 3283814
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 2001 Oct;81(4):599-615
references.pmid: 11642348
references.citation: Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2003 Dec;29(12):1596-608
references.pmid: 15018689
references.citation: Anxiety Stress Coping. 2014 Jan;27(1):1-17
references.pmid: 23742666
references.citation: Psychol Health. 2010 Jul;25(6):669-84
references.pmid: 20204944
references.citation: Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2005 Feb;31(2):232-42
references.pmid: 15619595
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1998 Feb;66(1):174-84
references.pmid: 9489272
references.citation: J Clin Psychol. 1984 Nov;40(6):1365-7
references.pmid: 6511949
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 1985 Aug;94(3):308-19
references.pmid: 4031228
references.citation: Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2007 Feb;11(1):4-27
references.pmid: 18453453
references.citation: Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2005 Sep;31(9):1175-88
references.pmid: 16055638
references.citation: Psychol Med. 1983 Aug;13(3):595-605
references.pmid: 6622612
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1999 Oct;106(4):766-794
references.pmid: 10560328
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 2001 May;80(5):766-81
references.pmid: 11374748
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997 Jun;72(6):1245-67
references.pmid: 9177018
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 2004 Sep;130(5):711-47
references.pmid: 15367078
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1989 Oct;96(4):569-75
references.pmid: 2678204
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 2006 Nov;132(6):823-65
references.pmid: 17073523
references.citation: Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2005 Oct;31(10):1413-24
references.pmid: 16143672
references.citation: Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1988 Summer;18(2):119-28
references.pmid: 3420640
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1987 May;52(5):907-16
references.pmid: 3585702
references.citation: Perspect Psychol Sci. 2010 Jul;5(4):420-30
references.pmid: 26162188