The Human Condition

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====== Pancultural Self-Enhancement Reloaded ======

{{:papers:sedikides05_pancultural_self_enhancement.pdf| (read this paper)}}

Abstract:\\
C. Sedikides, L. Gaertner, and Y. Toguchi (2003) reported findings favoring the universality of
self-enhancement. S. J. Heine (2005) challenged the authors’ research on evidential and logical grounds.
In response, the authors carried out 2 meta-analytic investigations. The results backed the C. Sedikides
et al. (2003) theory and findings. Both Westerners and Easterners self-enhanced tactically. Westerners
self-enhanced on attributes relevant to the cultural ideal of individualism, whereas Easterners selfenhanced
on attributes relevant to the cultural ideal of collectivism (in both cases, because of the personal
importance of the ideal). Self-enhancement motivation is universal, although its manifestations are
strategically sensitive to cultural context. The authors respond to other aspects of Heine’s critique by
discussing why researchers should empirically validate the comparison dimension (individualistic vs.
collectivistic) and defending why the better-than-average effect is a valid measure of self-enhancement.

<blockquote>
In an influential article, Heine, Lehman, Markus, and Kitayama
(1999) drew a provocative conclusion: “The empirical literature
provides scant evidence for a need for positive self-regard among
Japanese and indicates that a self-critical focus is more characteristic
of Japanese,” “the need for self-regard must be culturally
variant,” and “the need for self-regard . . . is not a universal, but
rather is rooted in significant aspects of North American culture”
(p. 766). Japanese do not have or wish to have high self-esteem
(Heine, Kitayama, Lehman, et al., 2001) and, if anything, they
self-criticize rather than self-enhance (Heine, Kitayama, & Lehman,
2001). These statements reflect what we (Sedikides, Gaertner,
& Toguchi, 2003) labeled the cultural-self perspective: Selfenhancement
is a uniquely Western phenomenon.
We (Sedikides et al., 2003) cast doubt on the assertion that the
need for self-regard and the motivation to self-enhance were the
exclusive province of North American or Western culture. After
all, this assertion ran in the face of established theories highlighting
the universality of self-esteem (Pyszczynski, Greenberg, Solomon,
Arndt, & Schimel, 2004a, 2004b) and of established findings
regarding the psychological health benefits of selfenhancement
(Taylor, Lerner, Sherman, Sage, & McDowell,
2003a, 2003b) as well as the universality of these benefits (Anderson,
1999; Bonanno, Field, Kovacevic, & Kaltman, 2002; Stewart
et al., 2003). There had to be an explanation.
</blockquote>

We feel that [[papers:heine99_universal_positive_regard]] is an important challenge to psychology and can't be brushed off as being inconsistent with western psychological theories or results.  The substance of this author's claim is that Japanese exaggerate their competence and virtue according to Japanese ideals, so are not an exception to the universality of this exaggeration.  This may well be true to some degree, but this tangential to Heine's core claim that self-esteem need not form the core of mental health, for example that self-critical thoughts are less associated with depression in Japanese, and also that depression and anxiety are more socially acceptable in Japan.

<blockquote>
Instead, the individuated entity versus aggregate mechanism as
well as selective recruitment, focalism, and egocentrism are best
thought of as moderators of the better-than-average effect (Alicke
& Govorun, in press). These moderators cannot supplant motivational
interpretations for the effect. The moderators are not alternatives
to motivational explanations. As Alicke and Govorun (in
press) pointed out, motivational accounts explain why the effect
occurs, whereas the earlier mentioned moderators or mechanisms
explain how it occurs. To make a convincing argument that these
moderators, either in isolation or combination, can supplant motivational
interpretations, it would be necessary to show that they
eliminate the effect. They do not. They attenuate the effect, but
they do not eliminate it. Although various nonmotivational moderators
contribute to the better-than-average effect (Chambers &
Windschitl, 2004), the effect is largely due to the desire to maintain
a self-view that compares favorably with one’s peers.
</blockquote>
This relates to another dispute about whether the [[analysis:bias:above_average_effect]] may be due to cognitive limitations rather than a desire for self-promotion or self-esteem.  "Motivational explanation" corresponds to the social psychology concept of "motivated belief" we believe something not because it is true, but because this belief makes us feel good.  See [[taylor_brown88_illusion_and_well_being]] and [[chambers04_nonmotivated_bias]].
The Human Condition

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