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Former cognitive neuroscientist here. Yes, what you're describing, the illusory superiority effect, was originally demonstrated in Westerners, but found not to
by KingMob 13y ago
Former cognitive neuroscientist here. Yes, what you're describing, the illusory superiority effect, was originally demonstrated in Westerners, but found not to replicate as well in Asian cultures.
- j_baker 13y agoWhat exactly are "Westerners" and what exactly are "Asian cultures" in the context of the research you speak of?
- notlefthanded 13y agoI think the generalization here is in individualistic vs collective, and a difference in style of communication. This sums it up pretty well: http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west/ http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west/
- j_baker 13y agoI would posit that part of the reason behind differences in illusory superiority are due to a difference in how you measure narcissism between cultures. You can't use the same test in a Western culture as you would an Eastern culture. Collectivist cultures aren't immune to the narcissistic problem. They're just narcissistic in different ways. In fact, I would say they're more susceptible to it. Look at the whole Chinese "Tiger Mom" thing. Asian cultures place very high expectations on their people just as Western cultures do. A western narcissist would say "I'm God's gift to mankind". An eastern narcissist would say "I'm God's gift to the collective/family/cooperative". For example, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory is based on the DSM, an American diagnostic tool. One of the questions is: Do you "prefer to blend in with the crowd" or "prefer to be the center of attention". I would imagine a more Eastern narcissist would choose the former while a more Western narcissist would choose the latter. Also, "I am more assertive" vs "I wish I were more assertive". People from face-saving cultures probably wouldn't even know how to answer this, while a Western narcissist would probably choose the former.