Cultural and Personality Determinants of Leniency in Self-Rating among Chinese People

Abstract

This study examines how cultural values (i.e., individualism and collectivism) and personality (i.e., self-perceived superiority and exhibitionism) jointly affect self-rating among Chinese respondents from mainland China ( N = 161), Hong Kong ( N = 350), and Taiwan ( N = 398). The results demonstrated that respondents with a more individualistic cultural orientation exhibit greater leniency in self-rating than those with a more collectivistic cultural orientation. Furthermore, self-perceived superiority and exhibitionism are related to high self-ratings among individuals who expressed low individualism values, but not among individuals who expressed high individualism or collectivism values. The results suggest that self-rating research needs to take both the individual's cultural values and personality traits into account.