Culture, Personal Autonomy and Individualism: Their Relationships and Implications for Personal Growth and Well-Being

The recent research and theorizing in cross-cultural social psychology have raised several interesting and conceptually important issues about the role of autonomy, selfdetermination and freedom of choice in different cultures and regarding the role of these factors in human functioning within various cultural contexts (Ahuvia, 2001; Inghilleri, 1999; Iyengar & DeVoe, 2003; Kagitcibasi, 2003, 2005; Markus & Kitayama, 2003; Miller, 2003; Rychlak, 2003; Schwartz, 2000). The following are among the key questions that have been raised: What is the nature and role of autonomy in the behavior of people from different cultures? Is autonomy’s positive influence only a prerogative of Western cultures built on the ideology of individualism? How does autonomy support relate to the psychological well-being (PWB) of people from different cultures? In this paper, I suggest answers to these questions and provide empirical evidence that support them

The role of self-determined motivation and goals for study abroad in the adaptation of international students

Abstract Two studies with Chinese international students in Belgium and Canada investigated the role of two motivational factors in students' decision to study abroad: the level of self-determined motivation and the content of their goals. A newly developed questionnaire, the Self-regulation Questionnaire-Study Abroad was used to test the hypothesis that self-determined motivation to study abroad would be more beneficial for students' adaptation outcomes than non-self-determined motivation. This hypothesis was generally supported. Using the Goals for Study Abroad Scale, the two-factor structure of students' goals was discovered. It consisted of a 'Preservation factor', which reflects the goals of avoiding disadvantageous conditions in the home country, and a 'Selfdevelopment factor', which reflects the goal of pursuing good education and better career opportunities abroad. The preservation goals were negatively related with cultural adaptation indicators. The level of self-determination and the goals to study abroad had an independent effect on cultural adaptation of the students. The potential applications of these two motivational parameters to study migration motivation were discussed.

Constructive and Destructive Processes During the 2018–2019 Eruption Episode at Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka, Studied From Satellite and Aerial Data

Dome-building volcanoes often develop by intrusion and extrusion, recurrent destabilization and sector collapses, and renewed volcanic growth inside the collapse embayment. However, details of the structural architecture affiliated with renewed volcanic activity and the influences of regional structures remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze the recent activity of Shiveluch volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, characterized by repeated episodes of lava dome growth and destruction due to large explosions and gravity-driven collapses. We collect and process a multisensor dataset comprising high-resolution optical (aerial and tri-stereo Pleiades satellite), radar (TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites), and thermal (aerial and MODIS, Sentinel-2, and Landsat 8 satellites) data. We investigate the evolution of the 2018–2019 eruption episode and evaluate the morphological and structural changes that led to the August 29, 2019 explosive eruption and partial dome collapse. Our results show that a new massive lava lobe gradually extruded onto the SW flank of the dome, concurrent with magmatic intrusion into the eastern dome sector, adding 0.15 km3 to the lava dome complex. As the amphitheater infilled, new eruption craters emerged along a SW-NE alignment close to the amphitheater rim. Then, the large August 29, 2019 explosive eruption occurred, followed by partial dome collapse, which was initially directed away from this SW-NE trend. The eruption and collapse removed 0.11 km3 of the dome edifice and led to the formation of a new central SW-NE-elongated crater with dimensions of 430 m × 490 m, a collapse scar at the eastern part of the dome, and pyroclastic density currents that traveled ∼12 km downslope. This work sheds light on the structural architecture dominated by a SW-NE lineament and the complex interplay of volcano constructive and destructive processes. We develop a conceptual model emphasizing the relevance of structural trends, namely, 1) a SW-NE-oriented (possibly regional) structure and 2) the infilled amphitheater and its decollement surface, both of which are vital for understanding the directions of growth and collapse and for assessing the potential hazards at both Shiveluch and dome-building volcanoes elsewhere

Narcissism and the strategic pursuit of short-term mating : universal links across 11 world regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2.

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating

Narcisismo y búsqueda estratégica del emparejamiento a corto plazo a través de las culturas: Enlaces omnipresentes a través de 11 regiones mundiales del Proyecto de la descripción de la sexualidad internacional 2

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating.Estudios previos, en primer lugar a través de las muestras de culturas occidentales, han documentado asociaciones sistemáticas del narcisismo subclínico con múltiples indicadores de estrategias del emparejamiento a corto plazo (p. ej. sociosexualidad ilimitada, infidelidad, caza de pareja). En este estudio se han usado respuestas de la encuesta transcultural de 30.470 personas de 53 naciones de 11 regiones mundiales (América del Norte, América del Sur/América Central, Europa del Norte, Europa del Oeste, Europa del Este, Europa del Sur, Oriente Próximo, África, Asia del Sur/Sudoeste de Asia, Asia del Este y Oceanía) para evaluar si el narcisismo (medido por el Inventario de Personalidad Narcisista; NPI) se asocia panuniversalmente con los indicadores del emparejamiento a corto plazo, tanto en la dirección, como en la intensidad. Los resultados sugieren que el narcisismo (incluidos muchos aspectos suyos medidos por el NPI) tiene las mismas asociaciones básicas con los rasgos de personalidad relacionados con el sexo (p. ej. extraversión alta) y con los resultados sexuales claves (p. ej. búsqueda más activa de las estrategias del emparejamiento a corto plazo) a través de las 11 mayores regiones mundiales del PDSI 2. La discusión se enfoca en las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio actual

Application of the scenario questionnaire of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism to the assessment of cultural distance and cultural fit.

The article reports the results of the development and application of a scenario questionnaire for the assessment of four cultural orientations: horizontal individualism (HI) and collectivism (HC) and vertical individualism (VI) and collectivism (VC). The 12-item questionnaire which is designed for application in the academic domain among university students has acceptable internal reliability and construct validity. This questionnaire was used to create the indices of cultural distance and cultural fit, and the hypotheses about their relations with cultural adaptation and the psychological well-being of international, Canadian-born and US-born students were supported. International students, who arrived mostly from China, Japan and South Korea see their home academic settings as more collectivistic (HC and VC) and less HI in comparison to Canada. A discrepancy between these students’ home country and Canada regarding the VC orientation was associated with higher depression. International as well as North American students had various degrees of fit to the culture of their university. The most predictive orientations with regard to the indicators of well-being and social adaptation were vertical orientations (VC and VI). Results are discussed in terms of the applicability of the developed questionnaire to study acculturation and in terms of the different role of horizontal versus vertical dimensions in cultural adaptation

Differentiating Autonomy From Individualism and Independence: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Internalization of Cultural Orientations and Well-Being

On the basis of self-determination theory (R. M. Ryan & E. L. Deci, 2000) and cultural descriptions drawn from H. C. Triandis (1995), the authors hypothesized that (a) individuals from different cultures internalize different cultural practices; (b) despite these differences, the relative autonomy of individuals' motivation for those practices predicts well-being in all 4 cultures examined; and (c) horizontal practices are more readily internalized than vertical practices across all samples. Five hundred fifty-nine persons from South Korea, Russia, Turkey and the United States participated. Results supported the hypothesized relations between autonomy and well-being across cultures and gender. Results also suggested greater internalization of horizontal relative to vertical practices. Discussion focuses on the distinction between autonomy and individualism and the relative fit of cultural forms with basic psychological needs

The role of self-determined motivation and goals for study abroad in the adaptation of international students.

Two studies with Chinese international students in Belgium and Canada investigated the role of two motivational factors in students’ decision to study abroad: the level of self-determined motivation and the content of their goals. A newly developed questionnaire, the Self-regulation Questionnaire—Study Abroad was used to test the hypothesis that self-determined motivation to study abroad would be more beneficial for students’ adaptation outcomes than non-self-determined motivation. This hypothesis was generally supported. Using the Goals for Study Abroad Scale, the two-factor structure of students’ goals was discovered. It consisted of a ‘Preservation factor’, which reflects the goals of avoiding disadvantageous conditions in the home country, and a ‘Self-development factor’, which reflects the goal of pursuing good education and better career opportunities abroad. The preservation goals were negatively related with cultural adaptation indicators. The level of self-determination and the goals to study abroad had an independent effect on cultural adaptation of the students. The potential applications of these two motivational parameters to study migration motivation were discussed