Asian American Journal of Psychology, Vol 15(1), Mar 2024, 21-30; doi:10.1037/aap0000313
The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of context on the self-construal of Asian Americans and White Americans. Cross-cultural research has demonstrated differences in the self, including the independent self and interdependent self. However, less research has examined differences in the self within a culture and how differences may be related to situational factors. In the present study, we examined how Who Am I? (WAI) self-descriptions of 109 White Americans (28 men and 81 women) and 99 Asian Americans (36 men and 63 women) might vary depending on the ethnic composition in which they were situated (i.e., being in a minority vs. mixed vs. majority setting). Findings provided partial support for the three main hypotheses, with self-descriptions varying by ethnicity for WAI abstract, autonomous, and positive descriptions and by ethnic composition for WAI positive and novel descriptions, though no interaction between ethnicity and ethnic composition on our dependent variables emerged. Specifically, White Americans reported more WAI autonomous and abstract responses than did Asian Americans across contexts. However, with WAI positive and novel responses, ethnic composition mattered. White Americans and Asian Americans reported more WAI positive responses in the mixed and majority compositions compared to the minority composition. White American and Asian American participants provided more WAI novel responses in the ethnic minority and mixed compositions than in the ethnic majority composition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)