Expressions of the Self in Individualistic vs. Collective Cultures: A Cross-Cultural-Perspective Teaching Module

Abstract

To help instructors develop lecture material to introduce the cross-cultural perspective in psychology, the author describes a self-contained teaching module that includes a summary of information, along with supporting references, describing the importance of the cross-cultural perspective while introducing students to two fundamental concepts in the study of the cross-cultural perspective: individualistic and collectivistic cultures. A series of selected topics relating to the expressions of the self (e.g., feelings of happiness and shame/guilt and explanations of personal success and failure) is presented to illustrate these cultural differences. To supplement lecture material and facilitate in-class discussion of these cultural differences, each selected topic includes a brief summary of the major findings, illustrative examples, and supporting references. The nature of the information in this teaching module is appropriate for use by instructors teaching a variety of courses seeking a concise introduction to the topic of the cross-cultural perspective in psychology.