Interpersonal leveling, independence, and self-enhancement: A comparison between Denmark and the US, and a relational practice framework for cultural psychology
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Standard
Interpersonal leveling, independence, and self-enhancement : A comparison between Denmark and the US, and a relational practice framework for cultural psychology. / Thomsen, Lotte; Sidanius, Jim; Fiske, Alan Page .
In: European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 37, 2007, p. 445–469.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Interpersonal leveling, independence, and self-enhancement
T2 - A comparison between Denmark and the US, and a relational practice framework for cultural psychology
AU - Thomsen, Lotte
AU - Sidanius, Jim
AU - Fiske, Alan Page
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - We argue that the relational model that people use for organizing specific social interactions in anyculture determines whether people self-enhance. Self-enhancement is not a functional consequence ofthe (independent or interdependent) cultural model of self. Across three studies, Danes self-enhancedconsiderably less than did Americans but were more independent on the Twenty Statements Test, mademore individual attributions about social life, made more autonomous scenario choices, and were moreindependent on the self-construal scale. Public modesty did not account for these Danish-Americandifferences in self-enhancement. However, Danes practiced interpersonal leveling, preferring equalityof outcome more than did Americans. This leveling strongly and inversely predicted self-enhancementwithin both cultures and mediated Danish-American differences in self-enhancement. In contrast, noindependence measure systematically predicted self-enhancement within both cultures nor mediatedthe cultural differences in self-enhancement. This dissociation of independence and self-enhancementdemonstrates that self-enhancing downward social comparisons are not functionally necessary for anindependent concept of self.We conclude that social relationships, not the model of the self, mediate themutual constitution of psyche and culture.
AB - We argue that the relational model that people use for organizing specific social interactions in anyculture determines whether people self-enhance. Self-enhancement is not a functional consequence ofthe (independent or interdependent) cultural model of self. Across three studies, Danes self-enhancedconsiderably less than did Americans but were more independent on the Twenty Statements Test, mademore individual attributions about social life, made more autonomous scenario choices, and were moreindependent on the self-construal scale. Public modesty did not account for these Danish-Americandifferences in self-enhancement. However, Danes practiced interpersonal leveling, preferring equalityof outcome more than did Americans. This leveling strongly and inversely predicted self-enhancementwithin both cultures and mediated Danish-American differences in self-enhancement. In contrast, noindependence measure systematically predicted self-enhancement within both cultures nor mediatedthe cultural differences in self-enhancement. This dissociation of independence and self-enhancementdemonstrates that self-enhancing downward social comparisons are not functionally necessary for anindependent concept of self.We conclude that social relationships, not the model of the self, mediate themutual constitution of psyche and culture.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - self-enhancement
KW - independence of self
KW - relational models
KW - equality of oppertunity vs equality of outcome ty vs equality of outcome
U2 - 10.1002/ejsp.366
DO - 10.1002/ejsp.366
M3 - Journal article
VL - 37
SP - 445
EP - 469
JO - European Journal of Social Psychology
JF - European Journal of Social Psychology
SN - 0046-2772
ER -
ID: 1090623