Research studies on the determinants of self-esteem of deaf individuals often yield inconsistent findings. The current study assessed the effects on self-esteem of factors related to deafness, such as the means of communication at home and severity of hearing loss with hearing aid, as well as the coping styles that deaf people adopt to cope with everyday life in a hearing world. Data were collected among the deaf students of California State University, Northridge. Hierarchical regression modeling showed that identification with the Deaf community significantly contributed to positive self-esteem. Results also revealed that deaf students with greater degree of hearing loss and with bicultural skills that help them function in both the hearing and the Deaf community generally have higher self-esteem. Implications for further study are discussed.

Building on previous research by Allik and Realo and Conway, Ryder, Tweed, and Sokol, the present study investigates whether cultural individualism is related to greater levels of prosocial behavior toward strangers. Focusing on regional variations within the United States, the authors found individualism to be positively related to charitable giving and volunteerism such that both were more likely to occur in more individualist states. Differentiating between different types of charitable causes, the authors found that cultural individualism was primarily related to giving to and volunteering for causes that were compatible with core individualist values, whereas no such relationship was found for religious causes and nonreligious cause that did not incorporate values of individualism.

No abstract

No abstract