Disowning the Self: The Cultural Value of Modesty can Attenuate Self-Positivity. Issue 6 (June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shi, Yuanyuan; Sedikides, Constantine; Cai, Huajian; Liu, Yunzhi; Yang, Ziyan
• Is Part Of: Quarterly journal of experimental psychology. Volume 70:Issue 6(2017)
• Page Start: 1023
• Page End: 1032
• Publication Date: 2017-06
• Subjects: Modesty -- Self-positivity -- Self-reference effect -- Self-processing -- Culture -- Chinese culture; Psychology, Experimental -- Periodicals; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Psychology, Comparative -- Periodicals; 150.72405
• DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2015.1099711
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1747-0218

Abstract

Western participants endorse a higher number of positive traits as self-descriptive, but endorse a lower number of negative traits as self-descriptive. They also respond quicker to categorize positive traits as self-descriptive, but respond slower to categorize negative traits as self-descriptive. Is this self-positivity bias qualified by the cultural value of modesty? We induced modesty (vs. punctuality) and assessed self-descriptiveness judgments and response times among Chinese participants. We replicated the self-positivity bias in regards to both self-descriptiveness judgments and response times. In the case of self-descriptiveness judgments, however, the bias was partially qualified by modesty. Relative to control participants, those in the modesty condition endorsed fewer positive traits as self-descriptive and manifested a tendency toward endorsing more negative traits as self-descriptive. In the case of response times, the self-positivity bias was unqualified by modesty. Within both conditions, participants were quicker to categorize positive traits as self-descriptive and were slower to categorize negative traits as self-descriptive. The results speak to the relation between the self-positivity bias and the self-reference effect and illustrate the malleability of self-processing.