When self-worth is contingent on culture : cultural self-awareness in self-worth maintenance

Abstract

Contingencies of self-worth involve attaching individuals’ self-worth to a specific life domain (Crocker and Wolfe, 2001). This research explored how valence of cultural experiences might have differential effects on cultural self-awareness – the development of metacognitive awareness of culture’s influence on the self (Lu & Wan, 2018) – due to the moderating influence of culture-contingent self-worth (cult-CSW). We proposed that for high cult-CSW individuals, positive cultural experience and cultural encounter would contribute to cultural self-awareness, allowing for self-worth maintenance. In contrast, negative cultural experience and cultural encounter threatened self-worth which results in avoidance of cultural self-awareness for high cult-CSW individuals. Study 1 measured American participants’ cult-CSW, valence of cultural experience and cultural self-awareness. Supporting our theory, we found a positive association between valence of cultural experience and cultural self-awareness, especially for high cult-CSW individuals. Study 2 investigated whether recall avoidance of cultural threat mediated the relationship between cultural threat and cult-CSW on cultural awareness; such that the indirect effect of cultural threat on cultural self-awareness via recall avoidance would be stronger when cult-CSW was high. Study 2 manipulated the worthiness of American culture by presenting American participants with either a cultural threat essay or a cultural affirmation essay. Results did not show the mediation of recall avoidance on the relationship between cultural threat manipulation (threat versus affirmation) and cultural self-awareness for high cult-CSW individuals. This paper provided a fresh perspective on how culture contributes to self-worth and shapes the development of self-understanding and using cultural self-awareness as a means for self-worth maintenance.