Cultural Understandings of Personality

As you have seen already, personality is shaped by both genetic and environmental factors. The culture in which you live is one of the most important environmental factors that shape your personality (Triandis & Suh, 2002).

culture

The term culture refers to all of the beliefs, customs, art, and traditions of a particular society.

Culture is passed down through language, family life, schools, media, and community traditions. It is also reinforced through social feedback—behaviors that “fit” cultural expectations may be rewarded, while behaviors that don’t fit may be discouraged (Triandis & Suh, 2002). Because of this, personality psychologists often ask:

• Are personality traits the same everywhere?
• Or do traits look different depending on cultural context?

Most evidence suggests the answer is both: some patterns appear broadly across cultures, while others are shaped strongly by local values and norms.

Why Culture Matters in Personality Research

A major concern in psychology is that much research has historically focused on WEIRD populations—people from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies (Henrich et al., 2010). That matters because ideas about “normal” personality or “healthy” development may not transfer neatly to other cultural settings (Benet-Martinez & Oishi, 2008).

Researchers have also pointed out that many published personality studies have not consistently included race/ethnicity when interpreting results, which can limit what we know about how social structure and lived experience shape personality (Cortina et al., 2012).^[1]

Personality Across Cultures

There is evidence that the expression and emphasis of traits can vary across cultures, and personality psychology has been encouraged to take a more active role in improving equity and cultural understanding (Arshad & Chung, 2022).

Researchers often use the Big Five traits to compare patterns across groups (e.g., conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion). Some cross-cultural research suggests that average trait levels and the meanings of traits can differ depending on cultural values and social norms (Benet-Martinez & Karakitapoglu-Aygun, 2003).

It’s also important to remember that the Big Five model was developed largely using Western samples. Many psychologists see it as useful across many settings, but it may not capture every culturally important personality characteristic in every region.

Personality in Individualist and Collectivist Cultures

Many cultural psychologists describe cultures along an individualism–collectivism dimension.

• Individualist cultures emphasize independence, personal achievement, and individual goals.
• Collectivist cultures emphasize social harmony, group loyalty, and shared responsibility.

Western nations such as the United States, England, and Australia tend to score higher on individualism (Oyserman et al., 2002). Many countries in Asia, Africa, and South America tend to score higher on collectivism (Hofstede, 2001; Triandis, 1995).

These values can shape personality development by influencing what is praised, expected, and practiced. For example, Yang (2006) found that people in more individualist settings often describe personality in more personally oriented terms, while people in more collectivist settings often describe personality in more socially oriented terms.

This is also one reason psychologists are cautious about applying personality inventories across cultures without context. For example, Frewer and Bleus (1991) found that results from the Eysenck Personality Inventory were most meaningful when interpreted within the cultural norms of Papua New Guinean university students. Dana (1986) also argued that personality assessment with Native American clients should account for tribe-specific cultural context and history to avoid biased interpretations.

Regional Personality Differences

Culture doesn’t only differ across countries—there can also be regional differences within the same nation. Rentfrow and colleagues analyzed responses from over 1.5 million people in the United States and identified three broad regional personality clusters (Rentfrow et al., 2013):

• Upper Midwest and Deep South: more people described as “friendly and conventional”
• West: more people described as relaxed, emotionally stable, calm, and creative
• Northeast: more people described as more stressed, irritable, and depressed
• (Clusters 2 and 3 also tended to show higher openness overall.)

One explanation for these patterns is selective migration (Rentfrow et al., 2013): people often move to places that “fit” their preferences, values, and lifestyle needs. For example:

• Someone higher in agreeableness might prioritize staying near family and long-term community ties.
• Someone higher in openness may be drawn to places viewed as more diverse, innovative, or fast-changing.

Rentfrow and colleagues (2009) also suggested that regional psychological profiles can relate to other regional patterns (like economic vitality or entrepreneurship). These are correlations, not proof that personality causes those outcomes—but they show how personality, environment, and culture can overlap.

Approaches to Studying Personality in a Cultural Context

Researchers use three approaches to study personality in cultural context:

• Cultural-comparative approach: tests Western ideas about personality in other cultures to see whether they generalize and show cultural validity (Cheung van de Vijver, & Leong, 2011).
• Indigenous approach: develops concepts and assessments grounded in the local culture, especially when Western models may miss important traits (Cheung et al., 2011).
• Combined approach: blends both to identify universal patterns while also capturing culturally specific differences.

For example, researchers have used the cultural-comparative approach to test whether the Big Five appears across many cultures, and some evidence suggests these broad traits show stability in many settings (McCrae & Costa, 1997; McCrae et al., 2005). At the same time, indigenous approaches highlight traits and values that do not always map neatly onto Western frameworks (Cheung et al., 2011).

• According to the work of Rentfrow and colleagues, personalities are not randomly distributed. Instead, they fit into distinct geographic clusters. Based on where you live, do you agree or disagree with the traits associated with yourself and the residents of your area of the country? Why or why not?

 

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