The cross-cultural approach to the study of personality.

Ethnic stereotypes.

“…Others (Fishman, 1956;Mann, 1967aMann, , 1967bMead, 1956;Schuman, 1966;Vinacke, 1949Vinacke, , 1956 do not consider validity irrelevant, but recognize that classing stereotypes as ouergeneralizations implies the existence of a criterion of validity. However, as already indicated, such a criterion has seldom been available.…”

“…That facts can affect stereotypes has been shown by those studies that focused on change due to external events, for instance, war. The similarities between stereotypes of one ethnic group held by various other ethnic groups have led Vinacke (1956) In a similar vein, Margaret Mead (1956) proposed that "the elements which make up such stereotypes are accurate but incomplete descriptions of national character in particular cross-cultural contexts [p. 222].…”

A four‐fold humanity: Margaret Mead and psychological types

“…(Benedict,1934a, p. 238) There can be no doubt that Mead and Benedict-close friends, for a time lovers, student and teacher, colleagues, devoted correspondents-were deeply engaged with each other's thought and perhaps, in some ways, each other's most perceptive critics. Mead (1946) thought that "Benedict's theory may be regarded as the most culturally based theory of personality," propounded by the scholars loosely grouped together under the rubric of "culture and personality" "as it does not rely upon any assumption of systematic differences in temperament or constitution, nor upon any theory of limited possibilities" (p. 482). Later on, Mead (1972) wrote, ".…”

“…So too the second and fourth narratives, depending upon how the narrator presents them or who they were presented to, can both purport to describe potentially real events, the former, if presented as real and not a joke, being perhaps distant and the latter, appearing to be part of the recent experience of a known person toward whom the test taker may feel empathy, ending finally in what appears to be a near conjunction of gore and the test giver. Taken together, the four narratives presented the test takers with themes and variations upon which they might evoke projections of fundamental elements of their personality, and thus, in Mead's (1946) opinion could "be used as cross cultural tests of cultural character, once adequate culturally relevant standardization [had] been developed" (p. 484).…”

Accuracy: A neglected component of stereotype research.

“…Sociology also provides an expectation of a grain of truth in stereotypes, in descriptions of social class differences and the tendency for ethnic groups to become concentrated in one social class. (Campbell, 1967, p. 823) Mead (1956), an anthropologist of great stature, contended that groups of different national or cultural origin have certain general characteristics that make them distinctive from other groups. According to her, the general characteristics that make up stereotypes are incomplete, but partially accurate, descriptions of different cultural groups.…”