Abstract
Self-continuity – the sense that one’s past, present, and future are meaningfully connected – is considered a defining feature of personal identity. However, bases of self-continuity may depend on cultural beliefs about personhood. In multilevel analyses of data from 7287 adults from 55 cultural groups in 33 nations, we tested a new tripartite theoretical model of bases of self-continuity. As expected, perceptions of stability, sense of narrative, and associative links to one’s past each contributed to predicting the extent to which people derived a sense of self-continuity from different aspects of their identities. Ways of constructing self-continuity were moderated by cultural and individual differences in mutable (vs. immutable) personhood beliefs – the belief that human attributes are malleable. Individuals with lower mutability beliefs based self-continuity more on stability; members of cultures where mutability beliefs were higher based self-continuity more on narrative. Bases of self-continuity were also moderated by cultural variation in contextualized (vs. decontextualized) personhood beliefs, indicating a link to cultural individualism-collectivism. Our results illustrate the cultural flexibility of the motive for self-continuity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-18 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Self and Identity |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - May 31 2017 |
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Keywords
- culture
- Identity
- mindset
- mutability
- personhood beliefs
- self-continuity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology(all)
Cite this
Being oneself through time : Bases of self-continuity across 55 cultures*. / Becker, Maja; Vignoles, Vivian L.; Owe, Ellinor; Easterbrook, Matthew J.; Brown, Rupert; Smith, Peter B.; Abuhamdeh, Sami; Cendales Ayala, Boris; Garðarsdóttir, Ragna B.; Torres, Ana; Camino, Leoncio; Bond, Michael Harris; Nizharadze, George; Amponsah, Benjamin; Schweiger Gallo, Inge; Prieto Gil, Paula; Lorente Clemares, Raquel; Campara, Gabriella; Espinosa, Agustín; Yuki, Masaki; Zhang, Xiao; Zhang, Jianxin; Zinkeng, Martina; Villamar, Juan A.; Kusdil, Ersin; Çağlar, Selinay; Regalia, Camillo; Manzi, Claudia; Brambilla, Maria; Bourguignon, David; Möller, Bettina; Fülöp, Márta; Macapagal, Ma Elizabeth J.; Pyszczynski, Tom; Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit; Gausel, Nicolay; Kesebir, Pelin; Herman, Ginette; Courtois, Marie; Harb, Charles; Jalal, Baland; Tatarko, Alexander; Aldhafri, Said; Kreuzbauer, Robert; Koller, Silvia H.; Mekonnen, Kassahun Habtamu; Fischer, Ronald; Milfont, Taciano L.; Des Rosiers, Sabrina E.; Jaafar, Jas Laile; Martin, Mariana; Baguma, Peter; Lv, Shaobo; Schwartz, Seth J.; Gavreliuc, Alin; Fritsche, Immo; González, Roberto; Didier, Nicolas; Carrasco, Diego; Lay, Siugmin.
In: Self and Identity, 31.05.2017, p. 1-18.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Being oneself through time
T2 - Bases of self-continuity across 55 cultures*
AU - Becker, Maja
AU - Vignoles, Vivian L.
AU - Owe, Ellinor
AU - Easterbrook, Matthew J.
AU - Brown, Rupert
AU - Smith, Peter B.
AU - Abuhamdeh, Sami
AU - Cendales Ayala, Boris
AU - Garðarsdóttir, Ragna B.
AU - Torres, Ana
AU - Camino, Leoncio
AU - Bond, Michael Harris
AU - Nizharadze, George
AU - Amponsah, Benjamin
AU - Schweiger Gallo, Inge
AU - Prieto Gil, Paula
AU - Lorente Clemares, Raquel
AU - Campara, Gabriella
AU - Espinosa, Agustín
AU - Yuki, Masaki
AU - Zhang, Xiao
AU - Zhang, Jianxin
AU - Zinkeng, Martina
AU - Villamar, Juan A.
AU - Kusdil, Ersin
AU - Çağlar, Selinay
AU - Regalia, Camillo
AU - Manzi, Claudia
AU - Brambilla, Maria
AU - Bourguignon, David
AU - Möller, Bettina
AU - Fülöp, Márta
AU - Macapagal, Ma Elizabeth J.
AU - Pyszczynski, Tom
AU - Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit
AU - Gausel, Nicolay
AU - Kesebir, Pelin
AU - Herman, Ginette
AU - Courtois, Marie
AU - Harb, Charles
AU - Jalal, Baland
AU - Tatarko, Alexander
AU - Aldhafri, Said
AU - Kreuzbauer, Robert
AU - Koller, Silvia H.
AU - Mekonnen, Kassahun Habtamu
AU - Fischer, Ronald
AU - Milfont, Taciano L.
AU - Des Rosiers, Sabrina E.
AU - Jaafar, Jas Laile
AU - Martin, Mariana
AU - Baguma, Peter
AU - Lv, Shaobo
AU - Schwartz, Seth J.
AU - Gavreliuc, Alin
AU - Fritsche, Immo
AU - González, Roberto
AU - Didier, Nicolas
AU - Carrasco, Diego
AU - Lay, Siugmin
PY - 2017/5/31
Y1 - 2017/5/31
N2 - Self-continuity – the sense that one’s past, present, and future are meaningfully connected – is considered a defining feature of personal identity. However, bases of self-continuity may depend on cultural beliefs about personhood. In multilevel analyses of data from 7287 adults from 55 cultural groups in 33 nations, we tested a new tripartite theoretical model of bases of self-continuity. As expected, perceptions of stability, sense of narrative, and associative links to one’s past each contributed to predicting the extent to which people derived a sense of self-continuity from different aspects of their identities. Ways of constructing self-continuity were moderated by cultural and individual differences in mutable (vs. immutable) personhood beliefs – the belief that human attributes are malleable. Individuals with lower mutability beliefs based self-continuity more on stability; members of cultures where mutability beliefs were higher based self-continuity more on narrative. Bases of self-continuity were also moderated by cultural variation in contextualized (vs. decontextualized) personhood beliefs, indicating a link to cultural individualism-collectivism. Our results illustrate the cultural flexibility of the motive for self-continuity.
AB - Self-continuity – the sense that one’s past, present, and future are meaningfully connected – is considered a defining feature of personal identity. However, bases of self-continuity may depend on cultural beliefs about personhood. In multilevel analyses of data from 7287 adults from 55 cultural groups in 33 nations, we tested a new tripartite theoretical model of bases of self-continuity. As expected, perceptions of stability, sense of narrative, and associative links to one’s past each contributed to predicting the extent to which people derived a sense of self-continuity from different aspects of their identities. Ways of constructing self-continuity were moderated by cultural and individual differences in mutable (vs. immutable) personhood beliefs – the belief that human attributes are malleable. Individuals with lower mutability beliefs based self-continuity more on stability; members of cultures where mutability beliefs were higher based self-continuity more on narrative. Bases of self-continuity were also moderated by cultural variation in contextualized (vs. decontextualized) personhood beliefs, indicating a link to cultural individualism-collectivism. Our results illustrate the cultural flexibility of the motive for self-continuity.
KW - culture
KW - Identity
KW - mindset
KW - mutability
KW - personhood beliefs
KW - self-continuity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020090954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85020090954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15298868.2017.1330222
DO - 10.1080/15298868.2017.1330222
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85020090954
SP - 1
EP - 18
JO - Self and Identity
JF - Self and Identity
SN - 1529-8868
ER -