The Self-enhancement: The Explicit And Implicit Experimental Research

A great number of studies have related to self-enhancement abroad. But whether self-enhancement is pancultural has always been an issue which has not been defined. From the cultural-self perspective,self-enhancement is unique motivation in only western culture. Independent self formed in western culture is focused on uniqueness, and emphasizes self-worth and self-realization. So for westerners, it is an appropriate action to actively show self to others. Interdependent self formed in eastern culture pays attention to collectivity, and emphasizes harmony. So for easterners, self-expression is not favored, and humility and cooperation is the appropriate action. From the content difference perspective, self-enhancement is prevalent in all cultures, but its strength and manifestation is different in different culture. Western individuals enhance self in more direct or individualistic manner. On the contrary, oriental individuals will choose a more implicit or collectivistic ways to enhance self. How is the self-enhancement of China culture which is a typical representative of Eastern culture? What are its characteristics? Based on these questions, this paper inspects characteristics of situations of adolescent and middle-aged self-enhancement and implicity of adolescent self-enhancement by three studies. In order to compare self-enhancement situation between adolescents and middle-aged,and there is not the self-enhancing questionnaire for middle-aged up to present. So middle-aged self-enhancing questionnaire was developed in study one. In study two, we explored that whether adolescents and middle-aged self-enhance and their difference,whether self-enhancement is of situational characteristics. In study three, implicit self-enhancement of different cultural traits were investigated by selecting college students as subjects. Major results are as follows:(1) Young and middle-aged are exhibited a significant self-enhancement in all traits and there is no aged difference in general self-enhancement.(2) Comparing with natural situations, Young and middle-aged have the stronger self-enhancement in the competitional context, but for middle-aged the difference is significant. In natural situation, Young and middle-aged's collective self-enhancing was significantly higher that of the individual nature of self-enhancement.In competitive situation, adolescents'individual self-enhancement is higher than collective self-enhancing,however,for adults,it isn't obvious.(3) The importance of character was the same in different situations for all subjects. In the more important character, subjects have stronger self-enhancement.(4) Teenagers'reaction for positive words and'I'expriming is significantly faster than negative words and "others" expriming, showed a implicit self-enhancing.(5) The cultural color of character affects adolescent implicit self-assessment. They have the collectivistic implicit self-enhancement and not the Individualistic implicit self-enhancement.