Toward a new approach to the study of personality in culture
TL;DR: The article ends with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the combined emic-etic approach for the study of culture and personality and for psychology as a science.
Abstract: We review recent developments in the study of culture and personality measurement. Three approaches are described: an etic approach that focuses on establishing measurement equivalence in imported measures of personality, an emic (indigenous) approach that studies personality in specific cultures, and a combined emic-etic approach to personality. We propose the latter approach as a way of combining the methodological rigor of the etic approach and the cultural sensitivity of the emic approach. The combined approach is illustrated by two examples: the first with origins in Chinese culture and the second in South Africa. The article ends with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the combined emic-etic approach for the study of culture and personality and for psychology as a science.
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TL;DR: The present study explores the implicit personality structure in the 11 official language groups of South Africa by employing a mixed-method approach and reveals a personality structure with a strong emphasis on social-relational aspects of personality.
Abstract: The present study, part of the development of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI), explores the implicit personality structure in the 11 official language groups of South Africa by employing a mixed-method approach. In the first, qualitative part of the study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 1,216 participants from the 11 official language groups. The derived personality-descriptive terms were categorized and clustered based on their semantic relations in iterative steps involving group discussions and contacts with language and cultural experts. This analysis identified 37 subclusters, which could be merged in 9 broad clusters: Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Facilitating, Integrity, Intellect, Openness, Relationship Harmony, and Soft-Heartedness. In the second, quantitative part, the perceived relations between the 37 subclusters were rated by 204 students from different language groups in South Africa and 95 students in the Netherlands. The outcomes generally supported the adequacy of the conceptual model, although several clusters in the domain of relational and social functioning did not replicate in detail. The outcomes of these studies revealed a personality structure with a strong emphasis on social-relational aspects of personality.
139 citations
Cites background from "Toward a new approach to the study ..."
...Emic and etic studies should inform each other about more universal and more culture-specific models of personality (F. M. Cheung et al., 2011)....
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TL;DR: Evidence of medium effect sizes for associations between personality and empathy is found, with agreeableness and conscientiousness as the most important predictors of affective and cognitive empathy (measured by the respective IRI subscales) as well as for a one-dimensional empathy score (me measured by the EQ).
Abstract: Empathy is an important human ability associated with successful social interaction. It is currently unclear how to optimally measure individual differences in empathic processing. Although the Big Five model of personality is an effective model to explain individual differences in human experience and behavior, its relation to measures of empathy is currently not well understood. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the relationship between the Big Five personality concept and two commonly used measures for empathy [Empathy Quotient (EQ), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)] in four samples from China, Germany, Spain, and the United States of America. This approach was designed to advance the way the Big Five personality model can be used to measure empathy. We found evidence of medium effect sizes for associations between personality and empathy, with agreeableness and conscientiousness as the most important predictors of affective and cognitive empathy (measured by the respective IRI subscales) as well as for a one-dimensional empathy score (measured by the EQ). Empathy in a fictional context was most closely related to openness to experience while personal distress was first of all related to neuroticism. In terms of culture, we did not observe any distinct pattern concerning cultural differences. These results support the cross-cultural applicability of the EQ and the IRI and indicate structurally similar associations between personality and empathy across cultures.
134 citations
TL;DR: The results provide strong support for systematic linkages between personality and broad value dimensions, but they also point out that these relations are shaped by contextual factors.
Abstract: We investigated the relationships between personality traits and basic value dimensions. Furthermore, we developed novel country-level hypotheses predicting that contextual threat moderates value-personality trait relationships. We conducted a three-level v-known meta-analysis of correlations between Big Five traits and Schwartz's (1992) 10 values involving 9,935 participants from 14 countries. Variations in contextual threat (measured as resource threat, ecological threat, and restrictive social institutions) were used as country-level moderator variables. We found systematic relationships between Big Five traits and human values that varied across contexts. Overall, correlations between Openness traits and the Conservation value dimension and Agreeableness traits and the Transcendence value dimension were strongest across all samples. Correlations between values and all personality traits (except Extraversion) were weaker in contexts with greater financial, ecological, and social threats. In contrast, stronger personality-value links are typically found in contexts with low financial and ecological threats and more democratic institutions and permissive social context. These effects explained on average more than 10% of the variability in value-personality correlations. Our results provide strong support for systematic linkages between personality and broad value dimensions, but they also point out that these relations are shaped by contextual factors.
124 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors find the common kernel of different trait taxonomic studies and find out how the individual structures relate to this common kernel by applying simultaneous component analysis, and compare the kernel structures with the individual taxonomy trait structures, obtained via principal component analysis.
Abstract: The purpose of the present study is to find the common kernel of different trait taxonomic studies and find out how the individual structures relate to this common kernel. Trait terms from 11 psycholexically based taxonomies were all translated into English. On the basis of the commonalities in English, the 11 matrices were merged into a joint matrix with 7104 subjects and 1993 trait terms. Untranslatable terms produced large areas with missing data. To arrive at the kernel structure of the joint matrix, a simultaneous component analysis was applied. In addition, the kernel structures were compared with the individual taxonomy trait structures, obtained via principal component analysis. The findings provide evidence of a structure consisting of three components to stand out as the core of the taxonomies included in this study; those components were named dynamism, affiliation, and order. Moreover, the relations between these three kernel components and those of a six-component solution (completing the six- factor model) are provided. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Personality Psychology
95 citations
Cites background from "Toward a new approach to the study ..."
...Albanian Ademi Shala and De Raad (2012) Arabic Abdel-Khalek (1998) Bulgarian Gerganov and Todorov (2000), Todorov (200 Chinese Wang, Cui, and Zhou (2005), Zhou, Saucier, and Liu (2009) Croatian Mlačić and Ostendorf (2005) Czech Hřebíčková (2007) Dutch Brokken (1978), De Raad, Mulder, Kloosterm and Hofstee (1988) English Goldberg (1981, 1982, 1990) Filipino Church, Katigbak, and Reyes (1996) French Boies, Lee, Ashton, Pascal, and Nicol (2001) German Angleitner, Ostendorf, and John (1990) Greek Saucier, Georgiades, Tsaousis, and Goldberg Hebrew Almagor, Tellegen, and Waller (1995) Hungarian Szirmák and De Raad (1994), De Raad and Szirmák (1994) Indian Singh et al....
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TL;DR: The author discusses the inadequacies of sole reliance on either the etic or the emic approach and points out the advantages of a combined emic-etic approach in bridging global and local human experiences in psychological science and practice.
Abstract: Despite the "awakening" to the importance of culture in psychology in America, international psychology has remained on the sidelines of psychological science. The author recounts her personal and professional experience in tandem with the stages of development in international/cross-cultural psychology. Based on her research in cross-cultural personality assessment, the author discusses the inadequacies of sole reliance on either the etic or the emic approach and points out the advantages of a combined emic-etic approach in bridging global and local human experiences in psychological science and practice. With the blurring of the boundaries between North American-European psychologies and psychology in the rest of the world, there is a need to mainstream culture in psychology's epistemological paradigm. Borrowing from the concept of gender mainstreaming that embraces both similarities and differences in promoting equal opportunities, the author discusses the parallel needs of acknowledging universals and specifics when mainstreaming culture in psychology. She calls for building a culturally informed universal knowledge base that should be incorporated in the psychology curriculum and textbooks.
88 citations
Cites background or methods from "Toward a new approach to the study ..."
...With limited local expertise and resources, it was difficult to sustain these movements and substantiate their knowledge base in mainstream psychology (Cheung et al., 2003, 2011)....
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...…the indigenously derived Interpersonal Relatedness factor not only contributed incremental value to predicting a variety of outcomes in social interaction, vocational behavior, and psychopathology in Chinese societies but was found to be relevant also in non-Chinese cultures (Cheung et al., 2011)....
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...The admirable effort adopted by psychologists in South Africa to develop 11 parallel-language versions of the South African Personality Inventory (Cheung et al., 2011) illustrates the importance of this inclusive approach that respects cultural diversity and complies with nondiscriminatory leg-…...
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...Notwithstanding these advances in methodology, the etic approach forges cross-cultural similarities at the expense of important indigenous knowledge (Cheung et al., 2011)....
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...An extensive research program was pursued by the research team and other researchers that built up the validity of the CPAI (see Cheung et al., 2011, and Cheung, Fan, & Cheung, in press, for more information about the CPAI)....
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References
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TL;DR: In this article, structural bias, weak measurement invariance, strong factorial invariance (SFI), and factorial robustness have been defined and defined for employment/admissions testing and salary equity.
Abstract: Several concepts are introduced and defined: measurement invariance, structural bias, weak measurement invariance, strong factorial invariance, and strict factorial invariance. It is shown that factorial invariance has implications for (weak) measurement invariance. Definitions of fairness in employment/admissions testing and salary equity are provided and it is argued that strict factorial invariance is required for fairness/equity to exist. Implications for item and test bias are developed and it is argued that item or test bias probably depends on the existence of latent variables that are irrelevant to the primary goal of test constructers.
3,638 citations
Book•
04 Feb 1997TL;DR: This comprehensive guide, which covers all major issues in the field, presents cross-cultural methodology in a practical light and discusses the design and analysis of quasi-experiments - the dominant framework for cross- cultural research.
Abstract: This book gives an up-to-date overview of methodological and data-analytical issues of cross-cultural studies. Written by leading experts in the field, it presents the most important tools for doing cross-cultural research and outlines design considerations, methods, and analytical techniques that can improve ecological validity and help researchers to avoid pitfalls in cross-cultural psychology. By focusing on the relevant research questions that can be tackled with particular methods, it provides practical guidance on how to translate conceptual questions into decisions on study design and statistical techniques. Featuring examples from cognitive and educational assessment, personality, health, and intercultural communication and management, and illustrating key techniques in feature boxes, this concise and accessible guide is essential reading for researchers, graduate students, and professionals who work with culture-comparative data.
2,172 citations
"Toward a new approach to the study ..." refers background in this paper
...Equivalence refers to the level of comparability of constructs or scores in a multigroup comparison (Meredith, 1993; Poortinga, 1989; Vandenberg, 2002; van de Vijver & Leung, 1997)....
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Book•
31 Jan 1992TL;DR: Cross-Cultural Psychology as mentioned in this paper is a leading textbook offering senior undergraduate and graduate students a thorough and balanced overview of the whole field of cross-cultural psychology The team of internationally acclaimed authors present the latest empirical research, theory, methodology and applications from around the world They discuss all domains of behavior (including development, social behavior, personality, cognition, psycholinguistics, emotion and perception), and present the three main approaches in crosscultural psychology (cultural, culture-comparative, and indigenous traditions).
Abstract: Cross-Cultural Psychology is a leading textbook offering senior undergraduate and graduate students a thorough and balanced overview of the whole field of cross-cultural psychology The team of internationally acclaimed authors present the latest empirical research, theory, methodology and applications from around the world They discuss all domains of behavior (including development, social behavior, personality, cognition, psycholinguistics, emotion and perception), and present the three main approaches in cross-cultural psychology (cultural, culture-comparative, and indigenous traditions) as well as applications to a number of domains (including acculturation, intercultural relations and communication, work and health) With new additions to the writing team, the third edition benefits from an even broader range of cross-cultural perspectives Now in 2-colour, the format is even more reader-friendly and the features include chapter outlines, chapter summaries, further reading and an updated glossary of key terms This edition also offers an accompanying website containing additional material and weblinks
1,771 citations
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: These “Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists” reflect knowledge and skills needed for the profession in the midst of dramatic historic sociopolitical changes in U.S. society, as well as needs of new constituencies, markets, and clients.
Abstract: Preface All individuals exist in social, political, historical, and economic contexts, and psychologists are increasingly called upon to understand the influence of these contexts on individuals’ behavior. The “Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists” reflect the continuing evolution of the study of psychology, changes in society at large, and emerging data about the different needs of particular individuals and groups historically marginalized or disenfranchised within and by psychology based on their ethnic/racial heritage and social group identity or membership. These “Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists” reflect knowledge and skills needed for the profession in the midst of dramatic historic sociopolitical changes in U.S. society, as well as needs of new constituencies, markets, and clients. The specific goals of these guidelines are to provide psychologists with (a) the rationale and needs for addressing multiculturalism and diversity in education, training, research, practice, and organizational change; (b) basic information, relevant terminology, current empirical research from psychology and related disciplines, and other data that support the proposed guidelines and underscore their importance; (c) references to enhance ongoing education, training, research, practice, and organizational change methodologies; and (d) paradigms that broaden the purview of psychology as a profession.
1,711 citations