Tafarodi, Romin W., Lo, Christopher, Yamaguchi, Susumu, Lee, Wincy W.S., and Katsura, Haruko (2004) The Inner Self in Three Countries. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35 (1). pp. 97-117.

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Abstract

Personal identity involves continuity of the inner or private self—the intimately familiar me—across time and place. Is this continuity experienced to a similar extent across cultures? East Asian cultures place greater moral emphasis than do Western cultures on the contextual adjustment of personal behavior. This adjustive focus translates into greater variation in the outwardly presented self across contexts, raising the question of whether the inner self is also experienced as less continuous or unchanging by East Asians. To examine this issue and its implications, we asked Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese students to answer a set of questions about the inner self and its behavioral expression. Their responses confirmed a weaker sense of continuity amongthe Chinese and Japanese but also revealed that socially appropriate expression of the innerself is valued and sought in all three countries. In addition, East Asians claimed to experience self-expression in fewer activity domains than did Canadians.

Item ID:	86528
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	0022-0221
Copyright Information:	© 2004 Western Washington University
Date Deposited:	12 Aug 2025 02:39
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5205 Social and personality psychology > 520505 Social psychology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	13 CULTURE AND SOCIETY > 1399 Other culture and society > 139999 Other culture and society not elsewhere classified @ 50% 28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280116 Expanding knowledge in language, communication and culture @ 50%
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