An adaptationist model of selfhood: Examining the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the scales of dual independence and interdependence

Abstract

This study revisits the concepts and measurement scales of Hashimoto and Yamagishi's (Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2016, 19, 286) adaptationist model of self-construals, which provides a promising framework for intercultural and cross-cultural research. Responding to a call for the establishment of measurement invariance of the scales across cultures, this study revised the scales and conducted a series of tests including tests of their dimensionality and measurement invariance across cultures. Additionally, this study examined construct and predictive validity of the revised scales across cultures. A total of 649 undergraduates from Japan and the United States were invited to respond to a survey designed for the purposes of the study. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor model, which consists of dual interdependence (harmony seeking and rejection avoidance) and dual independence (distinctiveness of the self and self-expression), fit the data better than alternative models across cultures. The invariance tests provided evidence to support partial configural, metric, and scalar invariance of the revised scales across cultures. The validity tests provided evidence to support construct and predictive validity of the revised scales across cultures. The results were discussed and the implications were offered.