Abstract
The pursuit of compassionate goals, which involves focusing on and attending to other people’s needs, has often been described as a defining characteristic of an interdependent self that prioritizes harmonious relationships over individual achievement. This research investigated whether compassionate goals can be empirically distinguished from various indices of interdependence and examined their correlations with interdependence in both American and Japanese adult samples. It further differentiated two types of self-image goals—the goals to appear warm and kind vs. the goals to appear competent and in control—and explored their relationships with interdependence. In Study 1, the 18-item scale showed a clear four-factor structure that distinguished (a) compassionate goals, (b) approach-worded likable self-image goals, (c) approach-worded competent self-image goals, and (d) avoidance-worded self-image goals. Study 2 confirmed the equivalence of the four-factor structure and the equivalence of factor loadings in the United States and Japan. Finally, Study 3 showed that the items of compassionate goals and those of various measures of interdependence loaded onto separate factors with only negligible cross-loadings. Study 3 further found that the indices of interdependence reflecting connection with others showed moderately positive correlations with compassionate goals whereas indices of interdependence reflecting conformity showed moderate correlations with likable, competent, and avoidant self-image goals, indicating that the pursuit of compassionate and self-image goals reflect different aspects of interdependence.
Highlights
IntroductionIn an independent cultural context, people view themselves as a bounded entity characterized by internal attributes such as preferences, abilities, and traits, and seek to maintain their self-view as an independent, autonomous, and competent agent (Markus and Kitayama, 1994)
Culture shapes the ideal self and the goals people pursue
The first factor consisted of 16 compassionate goals items and one likable self-image goals item (“be seen as an attentive person”); the second factor consisted of 15 self-image goals items that were worded as avoiding an undesirable image; the third factor included 17 self-image goals items worded as approaching a desirable image and one compassionate goals item with approach wording (“Make a positive difference in someone else’s life”)
Summary
In an independent cultural context, people view themselves as a bounded entity characterized by internal attributes such as preferences, abilities, and traits, and seek to maintain their self-view as an independent, autonomous, and competent agent (Markus and Kitayama, 1994). Interdependence is generally more prevalent in East Asian countries, such as Japan, and independence in North American and Western European countries, such as the United States, (Kitayama et al, 2009; Na et al, 2010; Vignoles et al, 2016), research has shown variations within a single culture (Markus and Conner, 2013; Markus, 2017). People strive to appear competent whereas in an interdependent culture, people strive to appear likable, because possessing these ideal characteristics usually results in greater acceptance and better social outcomes (Oishi and Diener, 2001; Kitayama and Cohen, 2007; Chen and Jing, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
