Effects of Socially Prescribed Expectations on Emotions and Cognitions in Asian and European Americans

Abstract

This study examined the relation of positive and negative socially prescribed perfectionism to psychological well-being in 100 Asian American and 91 European American college students. Participants received one of four priming conditions (positive, negative, neutral expectancies and control) and completed several measures of perfectionism and psychological well-being at pretest and posttest. Findings showed that, controlling for pretest scores, priming participants with negative outcome expectancies led to higher levels of negative perfectionism and lower levels of positive perfectionism, and priming participants with positive outcome expectancies led to lower levels of negative perfectionism and higher levels of positive affect. Differences also emerged between Asian and European Americans in levels of perfectionism and the link between perfectionism and well-being. Asian Americans had lower levels of subjective well-being and higher levels of negative perfectionism than European Americans, and Asian Americans were also less susceptible to the effects of positive priming. Present findings raise the possibility that cultural differences may affect ways of thinking about the past, present and future.