Cultural Differences in Self-Consciousness and Self-Monitoring

Abstract

The present study examines self-consciousness (Fenigstein, Scheier, & Buss, 1975) and self-monitoring (Snyder, 1974; Snyder & Gangestad, 1986) across cultures. Data from samples in Japan, Korea, and the United States were collected. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the three-dimensional model of the self-consciousness scale and the 18-item one-factor self-monitoring scale provided the best fit to the data from all three cultures. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that culture affected the three dimensions of self-consciousness, with significant differences emerging between the United States and Japanese samples on public self-consciousness, between Japan and Korea on private self-consciousness, and between the United States and both Japan and Korea on social anxiety. In addition, the U.S. sample reported significantly higher levels of self-monitoring than both the Japanese and Korean samples. These results are consistent with the hypotheses generated from Hofstede's (1980) theory of cultural differentiation.