Domain-Specific Allocentrism-Idiocentrism

Abstract

Concerned with individual differences in allocentrism-idiocentrism with reference to the family, Study 1 describes the assessment of an initial item pool of statements. Selection of good items was based on several criteria met by both an "Eastern" cultural group and a "Western" cultural group, thereby providing cross-cultural comparability at the item selection stage of test development. Scores on the Family Allocentrism Scale were positively related to a measure of norm-oriented identity style in both "Western" and "Eastern" samples (Study 2). With a "Western" sample (Study 3), individuals with higher levels of family allocentrism exhibited a greater sense of relatedness to their ethnic origins. In Study 4, with a group of Vietnamese immigrant university students, family connectedness moderated the relation between daily hassles and depression. In Study 5, with Russian immigrants, the relation between family allocentrism and depression depended on the level of bicultural competence. Future research plans and needs are considered.