Culture and Teasing: The Relational Benefits of Reduced Desire for Positive Self-Differentiation
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Short Title:
Culture and Teasing
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Year:
n.d.
Pages:
3-16
Sources ID:
22949
Visibility:
Private
Zotero Collections:
Contexts of Contemplation Project
Abstract:
(Show)
The authors hypothesized that teasing, a social interaction that benefits relational bonds at the expense of the self, should be viewed as more affiliative, and experienced as more pleasurable, by members of cultures that deemphasize positive self-differentiation. In four multimethod studies, Asian Americans attributed more affiliative intent to teasers and reported more positive target experience than did European Americans. Teaser behavior, attribution biases, and personality did not account for culture-related differences in teasing experience. Rather, childhood teasing may better prepare Asian American children to overlook a tease's affront to the self in favor of its relational rewards. Implications of deemphasizing positive selfdifferentiation in social interaction are discussed.
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