Different cultures, different selves?

This dissertation examined the usefulness of the IC-framework by examining how people across cultures regulate their emotions during social interactions and respond to transgressions in various settings with various people. For this, we used a combination of methods. Our samples included participants with Dutch, Chinese and Moluccan backgrounds. Our studies showed that, even though participants from individualistic and collectivistic cultures differed in how they suppressed emotions and responded to transgressions, their responses also depended upon the situations that they were in and on how close they were with those who were present. As such, our findings present a nuanced view on characterizing cultures as either individualistic or collectivistic. More cross-cultural research is recommended to understand the interplay between individualistic and collectivistic values behind people’s responses to everyday situations.