Skip to main content

Cross-Cultural Research

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

Synonyms

Cultural research on personality; Culture and personality; Psychological anthropology

Definition

Cross-cultural research on personality refers to scientific research on the association between cultural factors and personality, using the culture-comparative method.

Introduction

The increase in cross-cultural research, including personality research, is remarkably consistent for decades. It is psychology’s attempt to factor culture into its own theories. These attempts are not new and go back centuries in the works of anthropologists in the Enlightenment and, more recently, the culture and personality school and psychological anthropology. However, the psychological approach differs considerably from the old approaches as it is firmly embedded in the empirical tradition in psychology that is characterized by quantitative approaches. Psychometric validation has been introduced in the process of examining cultural differences, which was never done before. The psychological and...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., & De Vries, R. E. (2014). The HEXACO honesty-humility, agreeableness, and emotionality factors: A review of research and theory. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 139–152. doi:10.1177/1088868314523838.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, P. T., Petrides, K., Eysenck, S. B. G., & Eysenck, H. J. (1998). The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire: An examination of the factorial similarity of P, E, N, and L across 34 countries. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 805–819. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(98)00026-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Bleidorn, W., Klimstra, T. A., Denissen, J. J. A., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality maturation around the world: A cross-cultural examination of social-investment theory. Psychological Science, 24, 2530–2540. doi:10.1177/0956797613498396.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, C., Cheung, M. W.-L., Montasem, A., & 44 members of the International Network of Well-Being Studies. (2016). Explaining differences in subjective well-being across 33 nations using multilevel models: Universal personality, cultural relativity, and national income. Journal of Personality, 84, 46–58. doi:10.1111/jopy.12136.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, F. M., Cheung, S. F., & Fan, W. (2013). From Chinese to cross-cultural personality inventory: A combined emic–etic approach to the study of personality in culture. In M. Gelfand, C.-Y. Chiu, & Y.-Y. Hong (Eds.), Advances in culture and psychology (Vol. III, pp. 117–179). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ching, C. M., Church, A. T., Katigbak, M. S., Reyes, J. A. S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Takaoka, S., … Ortiz, F. A. (2014). The manifestation of traits in everyday behavior and affect: A five-culture study. Journal of Research in Personality, 48, 1–16. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2013.10.002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Church, A. T. (2016). Personality traits across cultures. Current Opinion in Psychology, 8, 22–30. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.09.014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Church, A. T., Katigbak, M. S., Reyes, J. A., Salanga, M. G., Miramontes, L. G., & Adams, N. B. (2008). Prediction and cross-situational consistency of daily behavior across cultures: Testing trait and cultural psychology perspectives. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1199–1215. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2008.03.007.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Church, A. T., Alvarez, J. M., Mai, N. T. Q., French, B. F., Katigbak, M. S., & Ortiz, F. A. (2011). Are cross-cultural comparisons of personality profiles meaningful? Differential item and facet functioning in the revised NEO personality inventory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 1068–1089. doi:10.1037/a0025290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Church, A. T., Willmore, S. L., Anderson, A. T., Ochiai, M., Porter, N., Mateo, N. J., … Ortiz, F. A. (2012). Cultural differences in implicit theories and self-perceptions of traitedness: Replication and extension with alternative measurement formats and cultural dimensions. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43, 1268–1296. doi:10.1177/0022022111428514.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daouk-Öyry, L., Zeinoun, P., Choueiri, L., & Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2016). Integrating global and local perspectives in psycholexical studies: A GloCal approach. Journal of Research in Personality, 62, 19–28. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2016.02.008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Raad, B., & Peabody, D. (2005). Cross-culturally recurrent personality factors: Analyses of three factors. European Journal of Personality, 19, 451–474. doi:10.1002/per.550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Raad, B., Barelds, D. P. H., Timmerman, M. E., De Roover, K., Mlačić, B., & Church, A. T. (2014). Towards a pan-cultural personality structure: Input from 11 psycholexical studies. European Journal of Personality, 28, 497–510. doi:10.1002/per.1953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eigenhuis, A., Kamphuis, J. H., & Noordhof, A. (2015). Personality differences between the United States and the Netherlands: The influence of violations of measurement invariance. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 46, 549–564. doi:10.1177/0022022115570671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975). Manual of the Eysenck personality questionnaire. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fetvadjiev, V. H., & Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2015). Measures of personality across cultures. In G. J. Boyle, D. H. Saklofske, & G. Matthews (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological constructs (2nd ed.). London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fetvadjiev, V. H., Meiring, D., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Nel, J. A., & Hill, C. (2015). The South African Personality Inventory (SAPI): A culture-informed instrument for the country’s main ethnocultural groups. Psychological Assessment, 27, 827–837. doi:10.1037/pas0000078.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fetvadjiev, V. H., Meiring, D., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Nel, J. A., Sekaja, L., & Laher, S. (in press). Personality and behavior prediction and consistency across cultures: A multimethod study of Blacks and Whites in South Africa. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. doi:10.1037/pspp0000129

    Google Scholar 

  • Fulmer, C. A., Gelfand, M. J., Kruglanski, A. W., Kim-Prieto, C., Diener, E., Pierro, A., & Higgins, E. T. (2010). On “feeling right” in cultural contexts: How person-culture match affects self-esteem and subjective well-being. Psychological Science, 21, 1563–1569. doi:10.1177/0956797610384742.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The Big-Five factor structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1216–1229. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.59.6.1216.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm, S. D., & Church, T. A. (1999). A cross-cultural study of response biases in personality measures. Journal of Research in Personality, 33, 415–441. doi:10.1006/jrpe.1999.2256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurven, M., Von Rueden, C., Massenkoff, M., Kaplan, H., & Lero Vie, M. (2013). How universal is the Big Five? Testing the Five-Factor Model of personality variation among forager–farmers in the Bolivian Amazon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 354–370. doi:10.1037/a0030841.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • He, J., & Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2015). Effects of a general response style on cross-cultural comparisons: Evidence from the teaching and learning international survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 79, 267–290. doi:10.1093/poq/nfv006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heine, S. J., Buchtel, E. E., & Norenzayan, A. (2008). What do cross-national comparisons of personality traits tell us? The case of conscientiousness. Psychological Science, 19, 309–313. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02085.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G., & McCrae, R. R. (2004). Personality and culture revisited: Linking traits and dimensions of culture. Cross-Cultural Research, 38, 52–88. doi:10.1177/1069397103259443

    Google Scholar 

  • Katigbak, M. S., Church, A. T., Guanzon-Lapeña, M. A., Carlota, A. J., & Del Pilar, G. H. (2002). Are indigenous dimensions culture-specific? Philippine inventories and the Five-Factor Model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 89–101. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.82.1.89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, U., Yang, K.-S., & Hwang, K.-K. (Eds.). (2006). Indigenous and cultural psychology: Understanding people in context. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., Chan, W., Jussim, L., De Fruyt, F., Löckenhoff, C. E., De Bolle, M., … Terracciano, A. (2013). The inaccuracy of national character stereotypes. Journal of Research in Personality, 47, 831–842. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2013.08.006.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr., P. T. (1983). Social desirability scales: More substance than style. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 882–888. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.51.6.882.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R. (2002). NEO-PI-R data from 36 cultures: Further intercultural comparisons. In R. R. McCrae & J. Allik (Eds.), The five-factor model of personality across cultures (pp. 105-125). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr., P. T. (2008). The Five-Factor Theory of personality. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed., pp. 159–181). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Terracciano, A. (2008). The Five-Factor Model and its correlates in individuals and cultures. In F. J. R. Van de Vijver, D. A. van Hemert, & Y. H. Poortinga (Eds.), Multilevel analysis of individuals and cultures (pp. 249–283). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., Terracciano, A., & 78 Members of the Personality Profiles of Cultures Project. (2005a). Universal features of personality traits from the observer’s perspective: Data from 50 cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 547–561. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.3.547.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., Terracciano, A., & 79 Members of the Personality Profiles of Cultures Project. (2005b). Personality profiles of cultures: Aggregate personality traits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 407–425. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.89.3.407.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mõttus, R., Allik, J., Realo, A., Rossier, J., Zecca, G., Ah-Kion, J., … Johnson, W. (2012). The effect of response style on self-reported conscientiousness across 20 countries. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1423–1436. doi:10.1177/0146167212451275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nel, J. A., Valchev, V. H., Rothmann, S., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Meiring, D., & De Bruin, G. P. (2012). Exploring the personality structure in the 11 languages of South Africa. Journal of Personality, 80, 915–948. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00751.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ortiz, F. A., Church, A. T., Vargas-Flores, J. J., Ibáñez-Reyes, J., Flores-Galaz, M., Iuit-Briceño, J. I., & Escamilla, J. M. (2007). Are indigenous personality dimensions culture-specific? Mexican inventories and the Five-Factor Model. Journal of Research in Personality, 41, 618–649. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2006.07.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rammstedt, B., Kemper, C. J., & Borg, I. (2013). Correcting Big Five personality measurements for acquiescence: An 18-country cross-cultural study. European Journal of Personality, 27, 71–81. doi:10.1002/per.1894.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, B. W., Wood, D., & Smith, J. L. (2005). Evaluating five factor theory and social investment perspectives on personality trait development. Journal of Research in Personality, 39, 166–184. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2004.08.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossier, J., Aluja, A., Blanch, A., Barry, O., Hansenne, M., Carvalho, A. F., … Karagonlar, G. (2016). Cross-cultural generalizability of the alternative Five-Factor Model using the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja personality questionnaire. European Journal of Personality, 30, 139–157. doi:10.1002/per.2045.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saucier, G., Thalmayer, A. G., Payne, D. L., Carlson, R., Sanogo, L., Ole-Kotikash, L., … Zhou, X. (2014a). A basic bivariate structure of personality attributes evident across nine languages. Journal of Personality, 82, 1–14. doi:10.1111/jopy.12028.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saucier, G., Thalmayer, A. G., & Bel-Bahar, T. S. (2014b). Human attribute concepts: Relative ubiquity across twelve mutually isolated languages. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107, 199–216. doi:10.1037/a0036492.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, D. P., Allik, J., McCrae, R. R., Benet-Martínez, V., et al. (2007). The geographic distribution of Big Five personality traits: Patterns and profiles of human self-description across 56 nations. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38, 173–212. doi:10.1177/0022022106297299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, J. K., Misra, G., & De Raad, B. (2013). Personality structure in the trait lexicon of Hindi, a major language spoken in India. European Journal of Personality, 27, 605–620. doi:10.1002/per.1940.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P. B. (2004). Acquiescent response bias as an aspect of cultural communication style. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35, 50–61. doi:10.1177/0022022103260380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terracciano, A., Abdel-Khalak, A. M., Ádám, N., Adamovová, L., Ahn, C.-k., Ahn, H.-n., … McCrae, R. R. (2005). National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures. Science, 310, 96–100. doi:10.1126/science.1117199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thalmayer, A. G., & Saucier, G. (2014). The questionnaire Big Six in 26 nations: Developing cross-culturally applicable Big Six, Big Five and Big Two inventories. European Journal of Personality, 28, 482–496. doi:10.1002/per.1969.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. C. (1995). Individualism and collectivism. Boulder: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valchev, V. H., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Nel, J. A., Rothmann, S., & Meiring, D. (2013). The use of traits and contextual information in free personality descriptions across ethnocultural groups in South Africa. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 1077–1091. doi:10.1037/a0032276

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Leung, K. (1997). Methods and data analysis for cross-cultural research. Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fons J. R. van de Vijver .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Fetvadjiev, V.H., van de Vijver, F.J.R. (2017). Cross-Cultural Research. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1294-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1294-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics