Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: In a provocative article, Heine et al. concluded that self‐esteem needs are less important in collectivistic, East Asian countries than in individualistic, Western ones. Their conclusion was based, in part, on evidence that: (i) self‐esteem scores are less positively biased in Japan than in Western countries; and that (ii) low self‐esteem is less predictive of psychological distress in Japan than in Western countries. The present research examined whether these cultural differences occur in another collectivistic culture: The People's Republic of China. Two meta‐analyses were conducted. Study 1 found that, for young and old alike, self‐esteem was positively biased, with most participants reporting high levels of self‐esteem. Study 2 found that low self‐esteem in China is associated with three indicators of psychological distress: depression, anxiety and low subjective well‐being. These findings are consistent with results in Western samples and suggest that high self‐esteem may indeed be a universal psychological imperative.
Authors: Huajian Cai, Qiuping Wu, Jonathon D. Brown
Institutions: Sun Yat-sen University, University of Washington
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2062301996