Independent and interdependent self‐construals: Ramifications for a multicultural society¹

Abstract

This study examined American students, Japanese students in Japan, and Japanese students in the USA. First, it examined whether respondents' scale for independent and interdependent construals of the self (SII) scores would vary depending on the type of relationship (i.e., family members, friends, or peers at the student's university) posited by the instructions. It was found that the SII score of each of the three groups changed depending on the relationship. Second, the relationship between SII scores, perceived conflict, and self-efficacy were examined. It was found that self-efficacy was highest among the American students, followed by the Japanese students in the USA, and lowest among the Japanese students in Japan. Self-efficacy was correlated to independent and interdependent construals of the self. Third, the respondents' preferences for expressiveness in communication were analyzed. The results of this study showed that there was a difference between the American students and both groups of Japanese students in their preference for three communication styles (independent, mixed, interdependent-type). Finally, the relationship between intercultural sensitivity, as measured by the intercultural sensitivity inventory, and self-efficacy were examined. Intercultural sensitivity was shown to have a positive correlation to general self-efficacy.

Anxiety symptoms among adolescents in Japan and England: their relationship with self-construals and social support

“…It is unknown if this difference is a function of a conceptual problem with the interdependent self‐construals construct as measured using the SCS, or reliable difference s among participants in these two cultures. As argued by Kiuchi,56 there is a current tendency in Japan to avoid too much interdependency. In fact, Japanese are said to not like people who have no opinion.…”

“…This unexpected finding could be related to the gradual societal change in Japanese culture such as change s in the traditional role of women 55. Furthermore, Japanese students have been reported to give priority to independent construal of the self 56…”

In‐group representation and social value affect the use of in‐group identification for maintaining and enhancing self‐evaluation

“…This distinction has implications for how individuals think, feel, and behave (e.g. Kiuchi, 2006; Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Takata, 2000). For independents, it is important to confirm the self as independent and different from others.…”

“…The current study focuses mainly on the independent–interdependent difference at the individual level (e.g. Kiuchi, 2006; Nakashima et al ., 2010), not at the cultural level (e.g. Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Yuki, 2003).…”

Inter-Edge and Cloud conversion accelerated user-generated content for virtual brand community

“…From the above formalization based on the link between human inside and outside divisions, we demonstrate the inclusion relationship between IDP-SC and ITD-SC or the possibility of conversion from IDP-SC to ITD-SC. Actually, every individual has two types of self [35,36] which are tied closely by the networking technology in the virtual brand community which in turn can utilize the difference of the different types of users in term of individuals' cognition, motivation, and emotion and then stimulate certain social behaviors [37][38][39][40][41].…”