Culture and Self-Concept Flexibility

Past research has shown that East Asians are more tolerant of apparent contradiction and tend to accept contradictory beliefs more readily than Americans. The present research examined through three studies whether such a dialectical tendency among East Asians also would be found in beliefs about the self. The results showed that in all three studies, Koreans displayed inconsistent beliefs about the self across contexts more than Americans. Unlike Americans, Koreans considered themselves more extroverted when asked how extroverted they were than when asked how introverted they were (Study 1). Koreans also exhibited less consistent beliefs about their relative standings on various personality dimensions than did Americans (Study 2). For example, Koreans evaluated their relative honesty differently when asked how honest they were than when asked how dishonest they were compared to their peers. Koreans also exhibited greater fluctuations in value preferences than did Americans (Study 3). Some implications of the present findings are discussed.