Jen-Ho Chang

Multicultural Families and Creative Children

The link between multicultural experience and creativity is consistently supported by many empirical studies. However, most of these results are limited to adult participants with foreign living experience. The present study extended previous studies and investigated the positive relationship between multicultural experience and creativity in Taiwan young adolescents living in binational families. With more than 700 young adolescents, the results showed that young adolescents from binational families had parents with lower socioeconomic status than monocultural families. However, young adolescents from binational families performed better on creativity tests (fluency, flexibility, and originality) than those from monocultural families. In addition, when variables of family background and young adolescents’ personalities were controlled for, the effect of binational families on creativity remained. The implications for research on multicultural families and young adolescents’ creative performance are discussed.

On the Flexibility of the Automatic Us-Them Divide

We examine the “us-them divide” from a motivational perspective, and suggest that the psychological processes underlying the us-them divide can be conceptualized as occurring in two steps. The first step involves a basic social cognitive distinction between different groups, and does not contain bias, whereas the second step involves motivated, anxiety-reduction strategies that elevate the self (or ingroup) and devalue the other (or outgroup). We propose that potential variability in the second step psychological processes allows for flexibility in us-them divide, and allows humans to function with relatively less us-them divide. Three theoretical perspectives are reviewed that can account for attenuated other-derogation in the us-them divide including self-determination theory, Crocker’s interpersonal goal approach, and a Buddhist perspective of self.

Self-concept integration and differentiation in subclinical individuals with dissociation proneness

Abstract Dissociative pathology is characterized by an altered sense of self. Still, it remains unclear (a) whether the altered sense of self is also associated with non-pathological dissociation as well and (b) whether this potential association is an intrinsic connection or a consequence of other related constructs, including childhood trauma. This study addresses this question by examining how self-concept organization may differ among individuals with different levels of dissociation proneness. The structure of self-concept was operationalized by various indexes of self-concept integration and differentiation. Results showed that individuals high in dissociation proneness have lower self-concept clarity and compartmentalize self-aspects with more polarized evaluations. Notably, the association between dissociation proneness and evaluative self-compartmentalization held after controlling for childhood trauma, anxiety, and depression. This characteristic self-concept organization can be an attribute of non-pathological dissociation.

Why Do Easterners Have Lower Well-Being Than Westerners? The Role of Others’ Approval Contingencies of Self-Worth in the Cross-Cultural Differences in Subjective Well-Being:

Previous studies have shown that Easterners generally perceive themselves as having lower subjective well-being compared with Westerners, and several mechanisms causing such differences have been identified. However, few studies have analyzed the causes of such differences from the perspective of the cross-cultural differences in the meanings of important life events such as whether people receive approval from others. Specifically, events regarding others’ approval might have different meanings to and influences on Easterners and Westerners. Thus, the degree of fluctuation of people’s views of self-worth in response to these events (i.e., others’ approval contingencies of self-worth [CSW]) probably differs between Easterners and Westerners. This may be a reason for cross-cultural differences in subjective well-being. We investigated two samples of undergraduate students from Taiwan and the United States to examine the mediating role of others’ approval CSW in forming cross-cultural differences in subjective well-being. The results revealed that Taiwanese participants exhibited lower subjective well-being and higher others’ approval CSW than American participants. In addition, others’ approval CSW partially mediated the cross-cultural differences in subjective well-being. Thus, one reason for lower subjective well-being among Easterners was likely that their self-esteem was more prone to larger fluctuations depending on whether they receive approval from others in everyday life.