SELF and CULTUREWhat type of change?

Cigdem Kagitcibasi

Koç UniversityTurkish Academy of Sciences

Panel on “The New Emerging Markets (Beyond BRIC): Managing Global Brands and Consumers”

Koc University, June 22nd, 2010

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

Culture level Individualism - Collectivism

Individual / Interpersonal level (self)

Independence - Interdependence Triandis et al. (1982). Allocentric vs. Idiocentric tendencies: Convergent and discriminant validation, Journal of Research in Personality, 19, 395-415.

Kağıtçıbaşı,C. (1990) Family and socialization in cross-cultural perspective: A model of change. In J. Berman (Ed.), Cross-cultural perpectives: Nebraska Symposium on motivation, 1989 (pp.135-200). Lincoln, NE: Nebraska University Press.;

Markus, H.R. & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, (2), 224-253

A further distinction:

Values orientation and Self orientation To I/C

‘Normative Individualism/ ‘Relational Individualism/

Collectivism’ Collectivism’ (Norms/values; (Self-other relations; Vertical-Horizontal I/C; separateness- Hierarchy) embeddedness)

Kagitcibasi (1997). Individualism and collectivism. In J. W. Berry, M. H. Segall, & C. Kagitcibasi (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology, 2nd Ed.

The latter - - self boundaries, self - other relations has found expression in contrasts made between the ‘Western’ Self-Contained Self and ‘Other’ Views of the Self:

• Enriquez : The Filipino Kapwa the unity of the “self” and the “other”

• Japanese : Group Self (Amae)• Nsamenang : West African Social Selfhood• Sun : The Chinese Two Person Matrix

(Yin and Yan)• Roland : Japanese and Indian Familial Self

Also reflected in Popular Psychology

Connected and Separate Selves/Family

Connected Separate

family family

Autonomy and Relatedness are Basic Human Needs

However, The construal of Autonomy and

Relatedness as Conflicting has prevailed over Autonomy and Relatedness as Basic Needs

Thus, Relatedness is seen as incompatible with Autonomy; and Separation from others is seen

as necessary for autonomy (“Separation-Individuation” hypothesis)

What is the underlying reason?

Not evolutionary, which rather stresses the survival value of cooperation and relatedness in humans and other primates (Euler et al, 2001; Guisinger & Blatt, 1994).

It is cultural ... Western Individualism as a ‘Cultural Affordance’ (Poortinga, 1992).

In much cross-cultural research and theory individualism is understood as autonomy (Hofstede, 1980, 1991; Rothbaum et al., 2000; Rothbaum & Trommsdorff, in press; Smith & Schwartz, 1997; Triandis, 1995; Markus & Kitayama, 1991)

Schwartz (2004) recast Individualism-Collectivism as Autonomy vs. Embeddedness

This is especially the case for Normative I-C

Thus issues of both conceptualization and measurement

Yet, it is neither logically nor psychologically necessary for Autonomy to mean Separateness if we recognize the existence of two distinct dimensions:

Agency:

Autonomy Heteronomy

(dependency) Interpersonal Distance:

Separateness Relatedness

The two dimensions underlie self, self-other relations and social behaviors.

They reflect basic human needs for autonomy and relatedness.

As conceptually distinct dimensions, either pole of each one can coexist with either pole of the other one.

Kagitcibasi, C. (1996). The autonomous-relational self: A new synthesis. European Psychologist, 1, 180-186.

A Conceptual Model of Different Types of Selves

Autonomous-Separate self

Heteronomous-separate self

Autonomous-related self

AGENCY

INTERPERSONAL DISTANCE

Heteronomous-related self

Autonomy

Heteronomy

Separation Relatedness

This conceptualization renders viable The Autonomous-Related Self

Despite the consensual agreement that Autonomy and Relatedness are basic needs, this self construal has not been readily recognized in psychology, even in cross-cultural psychology.

Kagitcibasi, C. (2005). Autonomy and Relatedness in Cultural Context. Implications for Self and Family. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36, 403-422.

Kagitcibasi, C. (2007). Family, Self and Human Development Across Cultures: Theory and Applications. (Revised Second Edition). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

• Global Change toward the Autonomous-Related Self

With • Urbanization• Increased Education• Increased Affluence

Urbanization of Populations

Urban Shift in Developing Countries for Young Population (age 10-19)

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