scholarly journals Exploring Cultural Differences in the Extent to Which People Perceive and Desire Control

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hornsey ◽  
Katharine H. Greenaway ◽  
Emily A. Harris ◽  
Paul G. Bain

In a seminal theory piece, Weisz and colleagues argued that control over one’s environment was less attainable and desirable in Japan than in America. Subsequently, many scholars have extrapolated from this argument to claim broad-based cultural differences in control: that Western/individualist cultures perceive and desire more personal control over their environment than do Eastern/collectivist cultures. Yet surprisingly little empirical research has put this claim to the test. To test this notion, in Study 1 we examined perceived control over one’s life in 38 nationally representative samples ( N = 48,951). In Study 2, we measured desire for control in community samples across 27 nations ( N = 4,726). Together, the studies show lower levels of perceived and desired control in Japan than in any other nation. Over and above the Japan effect, there was no evidence for differences in perceived or desired control between individualist and collectivist nations, or between holistic and nonholistic nations.

Author(s):  
Suzanne C. Thompson

A sense of personal control is an important resource that helps people maintain emotional stability and successfully negotiate their way through life. People foster their perceived control by focusing on reachable goals, creating new avenues for control, and accepting difficult-to-change circumstances. In general, perceived control need not be realistic in order to have beneficial effects, although in the area of health promotion, overestimating one's control can reduce the motivation to engage in protection. Research on ethnic differences in the benefits of a sense of personal control suggests that those from more collectivistic cultures or subcultures may be less benefited by a sense of personal control, relying instead on a socially derived sense of control. Successful interventions to enhance personal control include programs that bolster coping skills, give options and decisions to participants, and provide training that encourages attributions to controllable factors. Future research should further explore ethnic differences in the effects of personal control, the consequences of unrealistic control perceptions, and interventions to enhance the sense of control.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-605
Author(s):  
Adam M. Enders ◽  
Joseph E. Uscinski

Extremist political groups, especially “extreme” Republicans and conservatives, are increasingly charged with believing misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories to a greater extent than moderates and those on the political left by both a burgeoning scholarly literature and popular press accounts. However, previous investigations of the relationship between political orientations and alternative beliefs have been limited in their operationalization of those beliefs and political extremity. We build on existing literature by examining the relationships between partisan and nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs and symbolic and operational forms of political extremity. Using two large, nationally representative samples of Americans, we find that ideological extremity predicts alternative beliefs only when the beliefs in question are partisan in nature and the measure of ideology is identity-based. Moreover, we find that operational ideological extremism is negatively related to nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs. Our findings help reconcile discrepant findings regarding the relationship between political orientations and conspiracy beliefs.


1989 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Mikulincer ◽  
Hanania Glaubman ◽  
Orna Wasserman ◽  
Anat Porat ◽  
Moshe Birger

To examine correlations among chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), control-related beliefs, and sleep difficulties 7 PTSD casualties and 7 non-PTSD matched subjects were compared in their laboratory sleep patterns as well as in their beliefs about personal control over external and internal events in general and over sleep-related events in particular. Analyses indicated that PTSD casualties had poorer sleep and reported more doubts regarding their ability to control external and internal events than control subjects. Further, we found a significant association between perceived control and sleep difficulties. Results were discussed in terms of Horowitz's conception of intrapsychic processes related to PTSD.


1998 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter R. Schumm ◽  
Farrell J. Webb ◽  
Stephan R. Bollman

In 1972, Bernard argued that marriage was good for men and bad for women. Subsequent research noted that wives, on average, reported lower marital satisfaction than husbands. Furthermore, when differences within couples existed on marital satisfaction, the wife was usually the less satisfied spouse; however, most previous studies of the gender/marital satisfaction relationship had not been based on nationally representative samples. A nationally representative sample from the 1988 Survey of Families and Households was used to assess the relationship of gender with marital satisfaction. Within-couple analyses indicated that wives were less satisfied with their marriages than husbands and that, when substantial within-couple differences occurred with respect to marital satisfaction, the wife was usually the less satisfied spouse. Results provide at least small support for feminist assertions about the relatively adverse nature of marriage for women in the United States.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mullarkey ◽  
Mallory Dobias ◽  
Jenna Sung ◽  
Isaac Ahuvia ◽  
Jason Shumake ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Anxiety is rising across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, and social distancing mandates preclude in-person mental healthcare. Anxiety is not necessarily pathological; however, increased worrying about COVID-19 shows links to more severe anxiety pathology. Greater perceived control over anxiety has predicted decreased anxiety pathology, including adaptive responses to uncontrollable stressors. Evidence suggests that no-therapist, single-session interventions can strengthen perceived control over emotions like anxiety; similar programs, if designed for the COVID-19 context, could hold substantial public health value. OBJECTIVE Our registered report tested whether a no-therapist, single-session online intervention adapted for the COVID-19 context could: 1) decrease generalized anxiety and increase perceived control over anxiety, versus a placebo intervention and 2) achieve this without decreasing social-distancing intentions. METHODS We tested these questions using a between-subjects design in a weighted-probability sample of U.S. adults (N=500). RESULTS We found no support for therapeutic or iatrogenic effects; effects on generalized anxiety were d = -0.06 (P = 0.48, CI [-0.27, 0.15]), effects on perceived control were d = 0.04 (P = 0.48, CI [-0.08, 0.16]), and effects on social-distancing intentions were d = -0.02 (P = 0.83, CI [-0.23, 0.19]). CONCLUSIONS Strengths of this study included a large, nationally representative sample and adherence to open science practices. Implications for scalable interventions are discussed. CLINICALTRIAL NCT04459455


1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Gatz ◽  
Michele J. Karel

Perceptions of personal control were studied in 1267 individuals who represented four generations of families participating in a large longitudinal study spanning 1971 to 1991. Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential analytic strategies were employed. Over 20 years, mean levels of personal control became more internal in the 560 respondents who participated at all four times of measurement, probably as a reflection of contextual factors in the culture. Developmental changes toward greater internality were indicated for young adults as they progressed into middle age. Cross-sectional differences in middle-aged and older adults did not appear to represent developmental differences. The oldest generation of women was consistently the most external subgroup, suggesting a cohort effect reflective of their socio-historical reality.


2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1181-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Seale ◽  
C. Raina MacIntyre ◽  
Heather F. Gidding ◽  
J. L. Backhouse ◽  
Dominic E. Dwyer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In anticipation of the development of a vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV), we conducted a large, nationally representative serosurvey to examine the seroprevalence of CMV in Australia. Sera were collected opportunistically from laboratories around Australia. Age- and gender-representative samples were tested for CMV antibody. The population-weighted rate of CMV seropositivity in subjects between 1 and 59 years of age was 57% (95% confidence interval, 55.2 to 58.6%). An association between CMV seroprevalence and increasing age was recognized; however, little overall difference in seroprevalence between the sexes was found. The finding that high levels of CMV exposure occur in the first few years of life suggests that for a universal vaccination program to have maximal impact, the vaccine would need to be delivered to infants and have a long duration of protective efficacy. This is the first national serosurvey looking at cytomegalovirus in the Australian community. This study provides valuable information that can be used to examine the incidence of infection in the community and help focus the administration of a future CMV vaccine to appropriate target populations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Goodwin ◽  
Menachem Ben-Ezra ◽  
Masahito Takahashi ◽  
Lan Anh Nguyen Luu ◽  
Krisztina Borsfay ◽  
...  

The rapid international spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus 19 led to unprecedented attempts to develop and administer an effective vaccine. However, there is evidence of considerable vaccine hesitancy in some countries and sub-populations. We investigated willingness to vaccinate in three nations with historically different levels of vaccine willingness and attitudes to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout: Israel, Japan and Hungary. Employing an ecological-systems approach we analysed associations between demographic factors and health status, individual cognitions, normative pressures, trust in government, belief in COVID-19 myths and willingness to be vaccinated, using data from three nationally representative samples (Israel, N=1011 (Jan 2021); Japan, N= 997 (Feb 2021); Hungary, N=1131 (Apr 2021)). In Israel 74% indicated a willingness to vaccinate, but only 51% in Japan and 31% in Hungary. Results from multigroup regression analyses indicated greater vaccine willingness amongst those who perceived benefits to vaccination, anticipated regret if not vaccinated and trusted the government. Multi-group latent class analysis of ten COVID-19 (mis)beliefs identified three classes of myths, with concerns about the alteration of DNA (Israel), allergies (Hungary) and catching COVID-19 from the vaccine (Japan) specific to vaccine willingness for each culture. Rather than focusing primarily on disease threats, intervention campaigns should focus on increasing trust and addressing culturally specific myths while emphasising the individual and social group benefits of vaccination.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-101
Author(s):  
Michaela Čiefová

Abstract Objective: The main intention of the present paper is, on the one hand, to provide a summary of the characteristics of Slovak culture by applying chosen theories and models. On the other hand, we attempt to underline the significance of bilateral Austro-Slovak relations in relation to the economy or migration tendencies. We assume that, based on geographical proximity and the above stated bilateral relations, intercultural encounters are relatively frequent as well. Therefore, certain perception of Slovaks from the Austrian point of view is likely to exist. Methodology: Our work is based on relevant scientific sources, as well as on our own empirical research reposing in the analysis of an online questionnaire. Findings: Overall, findings of our empirical research may be considered rather positive, as no negative or hostile responses concerning Slovak culture were reported. Furthermore, none of the participants experienced a conflict with a Slovak counterpart that could clearly be ascribed to cultural differences. Value Added: We believe that the conclusions presented in this paper might be helpful not only for managers operating on the international level or businessmen intending to do business with their Slovak partners, for scholars engaged in similar topics but also for anyone interested in intercultural communication and cultural differences.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document