culture and personality processes: conceptual and methodological issues veronica benet-martinez...
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Culture and Personality Processes:
Conceptual and Methodological Issues
Veronica Benet-MartinezUniversity of California at Riverside, USA
Universitat Rovira i VirgiliMarch 23-25, 2010
DAY 2
Culture and Personality Taxonomies
*Required Readings:
•Benet-Martínez, V. & Waller, N. G. (1997). Further evidence for the cross-cultural generality of the ‘Big Seven’ model: Imported and indigenous Spanish personality constructs. Journal of Personality, 65, 567-598.
•Aaker, J., Benet-Martínez, V., & Garolera, J. (2001). Consumption symbols as carriers of culture: A study of Japanese and Spanish brand personality constructs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 249-264.
CULTURE AND PERSONALITY
TRAITS:
LEXICAL APPROACH
Key idea: Language as a window to study the ‘personality’ of a particular culture
My work: Exploration of basic dimensions of personality description in Spanish
Method: ‘Combined Emic-Etic’
•Which are the most basic dimensions of personality?•Is this basic structure universal? --> Long-lasting debate over the number and nature of the fundamental dimensions of personality
ambitious awkward bitter boastful boring brave careful cheerful chic clever clumsy clumsy cowardly creative dainty dignified dishonest dull excitable
fanciful forgiving ecstatic energetic gentle glamorous gutless handsome hateful honest hot-tempered imaginative intelligent kind lazy lonely loving loyal mean
mushy neat patient poetic practical proud quarrelsome romantic sarcastic self-centered selfish shy silly sincere sloppy smug somber stingy stubborn
stupid sullen superstitious sweet understanding vain wasteful wise
PSYCHO-LEXICAL APPROACH
Natural language as a window to study cultural universals and differences in personality
FUNDAMENTAL LEXICAL HYPOTHESIS:
Those psychological constructs that are the most salient in people’s lives will eventually become encoded into their language
The more important is such construct: (1) the more likely it is to be expressed as a single word, (2) overepresented in the language, and (3) the more languages and cultures will have a word for it. (Goldberg, 1982)
HISTORY OF LEXICAL PERSONALITY RESEARCH
Allport & Odbert (1936)
Webster’s II unabridged Traits States Evaluations Doubtful 4,504 4,541 5,226 3,682
Cattell (1943) Norman (1963) FIRST FACTOR ANALYSIS EFFORTS:
5 Factors
Norman (1967)
Webster’s III Traits States Social Roles Evaluative Physical Ambiguous Obscure
2,800 2,638 1,476 761 882 4,796 3607
Goldberg (1990, 1992) John (1984, 1989) FIVE FACTORS ! Costa & McCrae (1985) E, A, C, N, O MORE FACTOR ANALYSES ETC.
• Do the Big 5 fully capture the domain of personality description?
• What is the structure of English personality lexicon if you don’t exclude evaluations, states, and social roles?
ExtroversionAgreeableness
Conscientiousness
Neuroticism
Culture
Human Personality Dimensions: Big Five
HP
‘BIG SEVEN’ : Big Five plus two independent evaluative dimensions
POSITIVE VALENCE Outstanding OrdinaryImpressive Average Excellent Not exceptional POWERExceptionalAdmirable Important
ESTEEM NEGATIVE VALENCEWicked Awful Dangerous MORALITY Disgusting Vicious Treacherous
Original Eng. studies: Tellegen & Waller, 1987; Waller, 2000Facets of Pval and Nval: Benet-Martinez & Waller, 2002
BASIC FACETS OF THE ‘EVALUATIVE’ PERSONALITY DOMAIN:
Benet-Martínez & Waller (2002). From ‘adorable’ to ‘worthless’: Implicit and self-report structure of highly-evaluative personality descriptors. EJP
1. Distinction (first-class vs. mediocre)2. Worth (gem vs. meaningless)3. Evilness (repulsive vs. adorable) NEGATIVE VALENCE
4. Conventionality (odd vs. traditional)5. Stupidity (lunkhead vs. competent)
[replicated in both self-reports and semantic sortings]
POSITIVE VALENCE
Study 2: Multi-Trait Multi-Observer Matrix: Correlations Between Self-Reports and Observer-
Ratings on the Big Seven
Observer-Ratings
Self-Reports PV NV PE NE C A CN
Positive Valence (PV) .26 .01 .26 - .10 - .08 - .04 - .14
Negative Valence (NV) - .11 .21 -.01 - .01 - .12 - .05 - .16
Positive Emotionality (PE) .11 .12 .63 -.11 - .18 - .06 - .08
Negative Emotionality (NE) .00 - .01 - .14 .46 .08 .01 .11
Conscientiousness (C) -.01 - .06 - .21 .14 .55 .07 .27
Agreeableness (A) .07 - .04 - .13 - .06 .12 .50 .13
Conventionality (CN) - .13 .00 - .07 .06 .25 .14 .59
Note. N = 321 American college students. Cross-observer validity coefficients are in bold. Each
participant was rated by one close person (friend, romantic partner, parent, or sibling).
Are the American Big Seven (Five) cross-culturally robust in non Anglo-Germanic languages?
Yes in Spanish (using translated American measures)
(Benet-Martinez & Waller, 1995, JPSP; Benet-Martinez & John, 1998, JPSP) ->
Can we conclude from this evidence that the American Big 7 represent the basic dimensions of personality description in Spanish?
No --translated (imported) instruments superimpose a particular content and structure on the personality space of the other culture
Benet-Martínez & John (1998). Los Cinco Grandes across cultures and ethnic groups. JPSP
BFI BIG 5 NEO SCALES PERSONALITY SCALES FACTORS e .47 N-Eng .88 .92 N-Eng .39 e
N .84 .91
e .53 N-Spa N-Spa .42 e -.37 e .21 .02 e E-Eng .94 .78 E-Eng
E .85 .70 e .51 E-Spa E-Spa .54 e -.21
e .22 O-Eng .85 .92 O-Eng .26 e
O
.76 .91 e . 46 O-Spa O-Spa .35 e .20 e .57 A-Eng A-Eng .35 e .82 .94
A e .60 A-Spa .80 .92 A-Spa . 38 e .34 e .38 .35 e C-Eng .94 C-Eng .93
C e .49 C-Spa .87 .95 C-Spa .31 e
N = 170 Hispanic bilinguals CFI=.93; ²/df=2.4
NEED FOR ANOTHER STUDY THAT:
(1) Identifies the basic indigenous dimensions of personality description in Spanish
(2) Assesses the overlap/specificity between these indigenous Spanish dimensions and the American Big Seven (Five)
Benet-Martínez & Waller (1997). Imported and indigenous Spanish personality constructs. Journal of Personality.
COMBINED ETIC-EMIC APPROACH :
EMIC APPROACH: Reliance on indigenous measures or modelsin this study --> 299 indigenous Spanish personality adjectives (stratified sampling)
PLUS
ETIC APPROACH: Reliance on imported measures of modelsin this study --> Spanish-translated Big Seven and Big Five questionnaires
SampleN = 894 Spaniards who completed both emic and etic measures
INDIGENOUS SPANISH PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS
Examples of marker items (translated from Spanish)POSITIVE VALENCE NEGATIVE VALENCE
Amazing 62 Sickening 43 Superior 58 Terrifying 41 Formidable 56 Filthy 41 Resplendent 56 Greasy 39 Not special -35 Cruel 39 Mediocre -40 Wicked 38
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS AGREEABLENESS
Well-balanced 64 Easy-going 54 Moderate 54 Good-natured 49 Reasonable 53 Docile 46 Hasty -42 Stormy -45 Reckless -43 Unreconciling -47 Crazy -49 Unyielding -48
OPENNESS-CONVENTIONALITY
Bohemian 38 Mystical 40 Quaint 42 Gossiping -36 Disclosing -34 Nosy -30 PLEASANTNESS ENGAGEMENT
Cheerful 54 Ardent 43 Alert 38 Intense 35 Comical 48 Passionate 30 Fed-up –30 Relaxed -36 Distressed –44 Idle -30 Gloomy –56 Unemotional -37
AFFECT
CIRCUMPLEX MODEL OF AFFECT
Aroused Engagement Fearful Hi Negative Hi Positive Enthusiastic Affect Affect Sad Unpleasantness Pleasantness Happy Lo Positive Lo Negative Sluggish Affect Affect Calm
Disengagement
Sleepy
Adapted from Larsen & Diener (1992)
PLEASURE VS. PAIN
INTENSITY VS. COOLNESS
Overlap between indigenous Big Seven dimensions and imported
(American) dimensions?
BIG 7 & 5 SEVEN LATENT COMMON IMPORTED PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS INDIGENOUS SPANISH SCALES SPANISH SCALES Positive Emotionality .94
.90 PEM .71 Pleasantness Extraversion .34 .57 Negative Emotionality .97
.80 NEM .34 Engagement Neuroticism
Conscientiousness (IPC-7) .75 .80 Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness (BFI) .63 CONS
Agreeableness (IPC-7) .70
AGRE .79 Agreeableness Agreeableness (BFI) .90
Conventionality .38
CONV .78 Conventionality Openness -.76
Positive Valence .93 PVAL .81 Positive Valence
Negative Valence .79 NVAL .83 Negative Valence
Note = From Benet-Martinez (1999); N = 894 Spanish college students; Seven latent personality factors (PEM = Positive Emotionality; NEM = Negative Emotionality; CONS = Conscientiousness; A = Agreeableness; CONV = Conventionality; PVAL = Positive Valence; NVAL = Negative Valence); CFI = .945 and X²/df = 2.3
CONCLUSIONS FROM STUDIES:
(1) There is considerable overlap between the indigenous Spanish Siete Grandes and the American Big 7
(1b) Exception: Pleasantness and Engagement (instead of E & N)
(2) Positive and Negative Valence are personality constructs:
a) cross-culturally and cross-linguistically robust
b) independent of each other and of other personality attributes
c) not subsumable by the Big Five
Is personality meaning representing ‘passion’& ‘pleasure’ also found outside the individual (e.g., in Spanish cultural artifacts and practices)
[personalityculture]
PLEASANTNESS & ENGAGEMENT in Spain:
“Gran placer y poco duelo es el deseo de todo hombre”(Much pleasure and little pain is every man’s desire)--Spanish proverb
“Spaniards ..... passion is the seed that brings them forth, and passion is the flower they bear”--George Orwell (Homage to Catalonia)
ALMODOVAR’S FILMS: A celebration of pleasure/pain
and passion
Kinder, M. (1987). Pleasure and the New Spanish Mentality: A Conversation With Pedro Almodovar. Film Quarterly, vol 41.1, 33 - 44.
Pally, M. (1991). The Politics of Passion: Pedro Almodovar and the Camp Esthetic. Cineaste Magazine, vol 12 issue 3.
Main Theoretical Framework
The meaning embedded in consumption symbols, such as commercial brands (e.g., Coke, Malboro), can serve to represent and institutionalize the values and beliefs of a culture.
Culture and psyche constitute each other
Psyche
Culture
Process of creating brands (psyche culture)
Way in which brands are used (culture psyche)
Main Theoretical Framework
BRAND
PREVIOUS WORK:
Aaker, J. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing
Research, 34, 342-352.
Identification of US brand personality dimensions
Aaker, J. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing
Research, 34, 342-352.
“Please rate the extent to which the following personality traits describe Porsche.”
- Down-to-earth?- Exciting?- Competent?- Sexy?- Masculine?...
Over 100 traits (3 independent sources), more than 60 brands across categories
ExcitementSincerity
Competence
Ruggedness
SophisticationBP
N = 2,085
Aaker, J. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, 342-352.
US BRAND PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS
Sincerity
Down-to-Earth: down-to-earth, family-oriented, simple
Honesty: honest, sincere, real
Wholesomeness: wholesome, original
Cheerfulness: cheerful, friendly,sentimental
Excitement
Daring: daring, trendy, exciting
Spiritedness: spirited, cool, young
Imagination: imaginative, unique
Contemporary: up-to-date, independent, contemporary
Sophistication
Class: upper class, good-looking, glamorous
Charm: charming, feminine, smooth
Ruggedness
Masculinity: outdoorsy, masculine, western
Toughness: tough, rugged
Competence
Reliability: reliable, hard working, secure
Intelligence: intelligent, technical, corporate
Success: successful, leader, confident
MOST RECENT WORK:Aaker, Benet-Martínez, & Garolera, J.
(2001). Consumption symbols as carriers of culture: A study of Japanese and
Spanish brand personality constructs. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology.
How generalizable are the five US brand personality dimensions to other
cultures?
Target cultures: Japan and Spain (two very different collectivist cultures)
For both Japan and Spain studies:
“Please rate the extent to which the following personality traits describe X.”
- Down-to-earth?- Exciting?- Competent?- Sexy?- Masculine?...
Over 100 traits (3 independent sources), more than 60 brands across categories
ExcitementSincerity
Competence
Peacefulness
SophisticationBP
N = 2,297
JAPANESE BRAND PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS
Peacefulness
Celestial Seasonings, BasuKurin
Mildness: shy, mild-mannered, peaceful
Naïvity: naïve, dependent, childlike
Similarities
Differences
versu
s
Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication
Peacefulness versus Ruggedness
Japan vs. US: Summary
“Excitement”“Sincerity”
“Passion”
“Peacefulness”
“Sophistication”BP
SPANISH BRAND PERSONALITY DIMENSIONSN = 698
Passion
Osborne spirits, Zara fashion, Martini aperitif
Intensity: fervent, passionate, intense
Spirituality: spiritual, mystical, bohemian
Spain vs. US vs. Japan: Summary
DIMENSION United States
Japan Spain
“SINCERITY” x x x “EXCITEMENT” x x x
“SOPHISTICATION” x x x “COMPETENCE” x x “RUGGEDNESS” x
“PEACEFULNESS” x x “PASSION” x
Discussion
Relating culture-specific dimensions to findings from cultural psychology on needs, emotion, and traits:
RUGGEDNESS:Emphasis on mastery and independence values (Schwartz, 1994)
Discussion
Relating culture-specific dimensions to findings from cultural psychology work on needs, emotion, and traits:
PEACEFULNESS:Emphasis on harmony values (Kim & Markus, 1999; Schwartz, 1994)
Discussion
Relating culture-specific dimensions to findings from cultural psychology work on needs, emotion, and traits:
PASSION:Emphasis on affective
expression and autonomy (Schwartz, 1994; Benet-Martinez, 1999)