Cross-Cultural Differences in Desirable and Undesirable Forms of Self-Consistency and Influence on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Abstract

This study investigated how cross-cultural differences in desirable and undesirable forms of self-consistency influence symptoms of anxiety and depression. British (n = 172) and East Asian (n = 122) participants completed measures of self-consistency (situation-specific self-description task) and depression and anxiety (Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25). British participants had significantly higher overall self-consistency when compared with East Asian participants. British participants also scored significantly higher than East Asian participants in relation to consistently endorsing desirable self-characteristics. In contrast, East Asian participants scored significantly higher in terms of consistently endorsing undesirable self-characteristics than British participants. Finally, in both cultural groups, consistently denying undesirable characteristics was significantly associated with fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, while consistently endorsing undesirable characteristics was significantly associated with greater symptoms of depression and anxiety. The findings highlight the importance of self-concept content as well as structure when exploring relationships between self-concept and psychological adjustment.