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Exploring Cross-Cultural Differences in Self-Concept: A Meta-Analysis of the Self-Description Questionnaire-1

Torsten Norlander

Karlstad University, Sweden

Trevor Archer

Göteborg University, Sweden

This meta-analytic approach, designed to explore the cross-cultural differences in levels of self-concept as measured by the Self-Description Questionnaire, yielded two main results. (a) There seems to be a general pattern in self-concept amongst schoolchildren from the three cultural groups included in this investigation (i.e., Asia, Africa, and Australia/United States). Girls have higher or equal means in most academic areas and boys are higher in nonacademic and total self-concept. Furthermore, (b) in the comparison between these cultural groups a pattern emerged whereby the children from Africa, generally, had the most positive self-concept, the children from Asia had the least positive self-concept in the nonacademic subareas, and the children from Australia/United States had the least positive self-concept in the academic subareas. Because these differences are difficult to explain solely with the concepts of individualism and collectivism, a tentative explanation incorporating the concept of optimism is suggested.

Cross-Cultural Research, Vol. 35, No. 3, 280-302 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/106939710103500302


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