Chapter 04
Side by Side
East and West, Korea and Japan
01 What Is Cultural Psychology?02 The Korean Heart03 “I” and “We”04 Side by Side05 Happiness and Sinmyeong06 Meeting the Unfamiliar07 Koreans in Korean Society08 Fate and Ritual
In preparation · The essay for this chapter is in preparation. Meanwhile, start with the key papers below — each has a plain summary and an in-depth explainer.
Key papers in this chapter
The studies that became reference points — each opens a plain summary and an in-depth explainer.
Unlike Japanese students, Korean students showed unrealistic optimism — "bad things are less likely to happen to me than to others" — and this was linked to a strong independent view of self.
The Relationship between Unrealistic Optimism and Independent-Interdependent Construals of Self in Korean Culture
이누미야 요시유키 et al.1999CH 04Key paper
Contrary to the view that collectivist cultures lack self-enhancement, the study finds that Koreans also tend to see themselves in an inflated light — and that this is linked to psychological adjustment.
Cross-cultural Study of the Relationship between Self-Enhancement Bias and Psychological Adjustment
한성열2003CH 04Key paper
A review showing that collectivist cultures value harmony, yielding, and effort when judging others, while individualist cultures value uniqueness, assertiveness, and ability — leading to different ways of explaining why people act as they do.
Culture and Person Perception
조긍호1996CH 04Key paper