Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Previous research has documented that Asians tend to somatize negative experiences to a greater degree than Westerners.It is posited that somatization may be a more functional communication strategy in Korean than American context.We examined the ways in which Americans and Koreans communicate and respond to distress by analyzing use of and response to somatic words used in narratives.In Study 1, we found that Koreans used more somatic words to communicate distress than Americans.Among Koreans, but not Americans, use of somatic words predicted perceived disclosure quality and expectations of positive reactions (e.g., empathy) from others.In study 2, we found that when presented with distress narratives, Koreans (but not Americans) showed more sympathy in response to narratives using somatic words than narratives using emotional words.These findings suggest that cultural differences in use of somatization may reflect differential effectiveness of somatization in communicating distress across cultural contexts.my mentor who has provided me with warm and sincere advice that was invaluable for my growth as a researcher.I would also like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Drs.Gerrod Parrott, Fathali Moghaddam,
Author: Eun-Soo Choi
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2274408816