Traditional and Modern Behaviors in Traditional and Modern Life Situations among the Chinese: The Person-Situation Interactive Perspective
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Kao, Shu-Fang
Abstract
The present series of studies adopted the person-situation interactive perspective, to explore traditional/modern situations, traditional/modern psychological traits, and their interactions on affecting human behaviors and adaptation. In Study 1, I used a qualitative method to delineate five each most important traditional and modern situations in the Chinese daily life. In Study 2, I followed onto exploring the effects of person-situation interactions on behaviors. With data from 701 respondents, I found that (1) Chinese gave higher positive evaluations to traditional (or modern) behaviors, as opposed to modern (or traditional) behaviors, in traditional (or modern) situations. (2) Those with higher traditional (or modern) psychological traits gave higher positive evaluations to traditional (or modern) behaviors in all situations. (3) Behaviors were affected by interactions between the person (traits) and the situation. In Study 3, I used data from 423 respondents to explore effects of person-situation interactions on adaptation. Results showed that (1) in traditional (or modern) situations, traditional (or modern) behaviors, as opposed to modern (or traditional) behaviors, were more beneficial to adaptation. (2) For those with higher traditional (or modern) psychological traits, traditional (or modern) behaviors, as opposed to modern (or traditional) behaviors, were more beneficial to adaptation in all situations. (3) Behaviors resulted from person-situation interactions affected adaptation. Overall, I conclude that (1) adopting the person-situation interactive perspective is beneficial for deepening the indigenous Chinese psychological research. (2) To understand Chinese traditional/modern psychological traits and behaviors, situational characteristics must be taken into consideration.
Subjects
traditional psychological traits
modern psychological traits
person-situation interactive perspective
human adaptation
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