Cultural and demographic correlates of self-reported guardedness among East Asian immigrants in the US
Title:
Cultural and demographic correlates of self-reported guardedness among East Asian immigrants in the US
Author:
Barry, Declan T.
Appeared in:
International journal of psychology
Paging:
Volume 38 (2003) nr. 3 pages 150-159
Year:
2003-06
Contents:
The study examined guarded self-disclosure or reticence to reveal personal information about oneself to others among East Asian immigrants in the United States, in terms of cultural (ethnic identity, self-construal, and acculturation) and demographic (gender, age, number of years in the US, and English fluency) variables. Norms regarding appropriate amount, content, and type of self-disclosure differ noticeably between Asian and American cultures. In general, Asians have been found to be more guarded in their self-disclosure than their American counterparts. Such differences may hinder the formation of relationships between Asian immigrants and Americans. Thus, it is important for psychologists to examine culture-specific and non-culture-specific correlates of guarded self-disclosure among Asian immigrants in the United States. However, to date, there has been a dearth of studies examining this topic. This paucity of research is somewhat surprising given the large number of Asian immigrants in the United States. The participants included 170 East Asian immigrants (88 males, 82 females) who were administered a battery of psychometrically established measures. While guarded self-disclosure did not vary by ethnic group (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), it was associated with cultural and demographic variables. East Asian immigrants who exhibited guarded self-disclosure were more likely to report elevated ethnic pride, interdependent self-construal, separation, and marginalization, and were less likely to report elevated interpersonal distance, independent self-construal, and integration. Men reported significantly higher guarded self-disclosure than women. Overall, this study highlights the importance of assessing both culture-specific and nonspecific factors in guarded self-disclosure among East Asian immigrants. The findings emphasize the importance of considering more generic types of self-disclosure in addition to disclosure of very private and/or distressing information. Awareness of the cultural correlates of guarded self-disclosure may help counsellors target their outreach programmes for individuals of East Asian heritage.
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