Cultural Differences in Attitudes Toward Action and Inaction: The Role of Dialecticism

Ethan Zell, Rong Su, Hong Li, Moon Ho Ringo Ho, Sungjin Hong, Tarcan Kumkale, Sarah D. Stauffer, Gregory Zecca, Huajian Cai, Sonia Roccas, Javier Arce-Michel, Cristina de Sousa, Rolando Diaz-Loving, Maria Mercedes Botero, Lucia Mannetti, Claudia Garcia, Pilar Carrera, Amparo Cabalero, Masatake Ikemi, Darius ChanAllan Bernardo, Fernando Garcia, Inge Brechan, Greg Maio, Dolores Albarracín

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The current research examined whether nations differ in their attitudes toward action and inaction. It was anticipated that members of dialectical East Asian societies would show a positive association in their attitudes toward action/inaction. However, members of non-dialectical European-American societies were expected to show a negative association in their attitudes toward action/inaction. Young adults in 19 nations completed measures of dialectical thinking and attitudes toward action/inaction. Results from multi-level modeling showed, as predicted, that people from high dialecticism nations reported a more positive association in their attitudes toward action and inaction than people from low dialecticism nations. Furthermore, these findings remained after controlling for cultural differences in individualism-collectivism, neuroticism, gross-domestic product, and response style. Discussion highlights the implications of these findings for action/inaction goals, dialecticism, and culture.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)521-528
Number of pages8
JournalSocial Psychological and Personality Science
Volume4
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2013

Keywords

  • action research
  • attitudes
  • attitudinal ambivalence
  • culture and cognition
  • culture/ethnicity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology

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