Asian Journal of Social Psychology最新文献

Although research on the mental health of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Japan remains limited, existing studies suggest that many experience psychological distress due to societal stigma. However, little work has examined these experiences within a cultural framework that considers intragroup dynamics and social identity processes. This study addressed this gap by testing the cross-cultural applicability of the Intragroup Status and Health (ISAH) model among Japanese SGM (n = 222). The model posits that perceived status within one's minority group can have both direct benefits and indirect costs for mental health through identity-related mechanisms. Results indicated that the original ISAH model treating identity importance and identity-salience as a unified construct (identity-centrality) best fit the Japanese data, suggesting that these identity dimensions may be psychologically indistinct in collectivist contexts. Intragroup status was positively associated with mental health, both directly and indirectly, though indirect pathways through perceived discrimination partially offset these benefits. Subgroup analyses further revealed that model relationships were consistent across gender identities but varied by disclosure status and sexual orientation. Overall, findings support the ISAH model's relevance to Japanese SGM while underscoring cultural variation in how minority identities are structured and linked to mental health.

Culture fusion, defined as the blending of two cultural representations, can promote negative reactions based on perceived contamination of and symbolic threat to the heritage culture. In three experiments, we examined the possibility that such negative reactions to culture fusion may be responsible for exclusionary attitudes toward immigrants. We predicted that culture fusion would occur when an immigrant occupies a position that is representative of the host culture. We also tested whether the immigrant's cultural attitudes would moderate the effect of host cultural representativeness. Across three studies, Japanese participants (N = 1421) read a scenario depicting an American immigrant who had either a culturally representative (e.g. Shinto priest) or a non-representative occupation (e.g. bank worker). In addition, he was described as either willing to assimilate into Japanese culture or maintain American attitudes. The results revealed that the priest immigrant elicited stronger opposition to immigration, especially when he maintained foreign attitudes. In addition, disgust consistently mediated the effect of host cultural representativeness, with a lower impact from symbolic threat. More notably, the immigrant's (non-)assimilative attitudes were consistently a key determinant of the opposition. However, when the sacred element of cultural representativeness was removed, the aversive response toward the scenario character was diminished. Implications and mitigating factors are discussed concerning when immigrants are seen as a case of culture fusion.

Adolescence marks an important stage in attachment development, during which parental parenting plays a significant role in shaping adolescent outcomes. This study explored the bidirectional relationship between parental overparenting and adolescents' attachment style. To this end, we used a two-wave cross-lagged model over a 6-month interval with a sample of primary and middle school students (N = 1897) from Sichuan Province, China. Results showed that maternal and paternal overparenting positively predicted both attachment anxiety and avoidance. Adolescents' attachment anxiety and avoidance also predicted parental overparenting. In addition, paternal overparenting did not predict maternal attachment style, and maternal overparenting did not predict paternal attachment style. These findings indicated that overparenting may link to the reinforcement of adolescents' attachment styles, which may in turn encourage further overparenting. The results of this study not only deepened our understanding of attachment theory but also provideed guidance for optimising family educational practices.

Alongside collectivism–individualism, autonomy–embeddedness, and monumentalism–flexibility, emancipative values (EV) constitute one of the most powerful cultural markers of societal differences in economic development, demographic change, and levels of liberal democracy. However, the evolutionary emancipation theory's validity relies on the assumption that values crystallize in early adolescence and persist across the lifespan—a premise lacking robust empirical scrutiny. Given EV's significance, this study examines their dynamics in Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic, using three waves (June 2020–December 2021) of the international longitudinal survey ‘Values in Crisis’. Aggregate-level analysis supports the ‘baseline stability theorem’, revealing no substantial decline in EV. However, divergent trends emerge for EV components: choice values undergo a marginal increase, while equality values show a slight decline. At the individual level, pandemic-related experiences, that is, COVID-19 infection, job loss, or health anxiety, exhibit no significant effect on choice values; however, equality values demonstrate a weak positive association with the increase in economic concerns. Latent growth mixture modelling further indicates that considerable EV shifts occurred in only ~2% of the panel sample. These findings provide novel evidence that core values remain stable even amid unprecedented exogenous shocks, reinforcing the ‘baseline stability theorem’ despite severe threats to health and economic security.

Social comparison (SC) can influence perceptions and behaviours towards others, but it is unclear how the outcomes of SC between the regulator and the target affect the regulator's willingness to down-regulate their partner's negative emotions in interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). This study investigated whether regulators were more likely to implement IER strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) to down-regulate their partners' negative emotions rather than ignoring them (non-IER strategy: permit any reaction) in downward SC compared to in upward SC. Thirty-six stranger dyads of native Chinese completed a social comparison task manipulating different SC conditions (downward vs. lateral vs. upward), then underwent a dyadic IER task. Results showed regulators selected IER strategies more often in the downward comparison condition than in the upward one. Using upward SC as the reference, positive emotions from downward and lateral SC positively influenced IER strategy choice, indicating that such emotions may motivate individuals to use IER strategies. Additionally, compared to upward SC, the regulator's accuracy in recognising the target's emotions was higher in downward or lateral SC. In conclusion, the research demonstrated that the differential types of SC between regulators and targets impact the process of IER, providing insights into the social factors affecting IER.

Multilevel and multidimensional model of social cohesion suggests that social cohesion consists of subjective and objective dimensions on micro- (interpersonal trust, social support, density of relationships), meso- (openness, participation), and macro-levels (trust and legitimacy of institutions). System justification theory (SJT) proposes that trust towards institutions and system-justifying beliefs might be used interchangeably to measure subjective perception of the system at a macro-level. The aim of the study is to indicate the content of the social cohesion macro-level and the specifics of social cohesion structure in Russia. We tested two Composite Models of Social Cohesion that differentiated with subjective foundations of macro level (i.e., institutional trust (Basic Composite Model; BCMSC) and system justification (Modified Composite Model; MCMSC)) and two mediational models with hierarchical structure and the same differences at the macro level (i.e., basic mediational model (BMMSC) and modified mediational model (MMMSC)). About 955 Russians completed the questionnaires on interpersonal trust, social support, density of relationships, openness, participation, system justification, institutional trust, and legitimacy of institutions. The results of structural equation modelling showed the adequate model fit for MCMSC and MMMSC. The MCMSC indicated the significant contribution of micro- and macro-levels, whereas in the MMMSC, the contributions of three levels were observed.

Psychological distance poses an obstacle to public involvement in addressing climate change. Scholars have advocated the “here and now” strategy (highlighting the immediate and local impacts of climate change) based on psychological distance theory to address this issue, but its effectiveness has not met theoretical expectations. The current study aims to address the gap between psychological distance and climate change behavioural engagement by integrating the theoretical framework of risk perception. Through a 2 (temporal: 2025 vs. 2050) × 2 (spatial: China vs. Global) online experiment in China (N = 411), we investigate how psychological distance influences climate change engagement via the mediator of risk perception. We found that proximal spatial distance amplifies the effect of temporal distance on risk perception, which in turn leads to higher risk perception, fostering greater support for government climate action and individual mitigation intentions. This research highlights the crucial role of risk perception in bridging psychological distance and climate engagement. To effectively motivate public engagement in the Chinese context, it is essential to carefully consider how climate change risks are presented in communication strategies based on psychological distance.

Cross-cultural psychology (C-CP) and Indigenous psychology (IP) represent two distinct yet complementary approaches for bringing cultural issues into psychology. These methodological orientations diverge primarily in their focus: C-CP emphasises measurement equivalence of concepts, identifying universal truths across cultures as these truths are revealed in different cultural contexts. In its search for generalisability, however, C-CP may overlook key details that can more fully capture the psychological realities operating in the specific cultures being examined. In contrast, IP emphasises the importance of cultural and social contexts in understanding psychological phenomena operative in a given society. However, the concepts and theories developed in IP are often viewed as over-particularistic by outsiders. While C-CP often adopts a dis-embedded and externally imposed framework, IP may struggle with maintaining objectivity and faces challenges in conducting meaningful cross-cultural comparisons. By introducing culturally grounded and contextually embedded concepts and methods, this paper seeks to highlight how future research can address key shortcomings found in both C-CP and IP approaches. In our search for developing a more equitable global psychology, this paper describes the ‘reflexive etic approach’ of combining the concepts from both established and emerging indigenous psychologies to promote and develop more contextually sensitive research and theories about how an individual's culture matters in shaping that individual's behaviour.

Time banditry behaviour (TBB) refers to employees engaging in non-work-related activities during designated working hours while still accepting their salary. TBB presents a prevalent concern in the workplace and has resulted in severe financial losses for businesses worldwide. To investigate the causes and formation mechanism of TBB, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 30 Chinese employees and analysed the data using a grounded theory approach. Drawing on the iceberg theory, we propose a ‘potted plant’ model that elucidates this mechanism. The model encompasses superficial reasons (e.g., Personnel Needs, Job Demands, Organizational Mismanagement) and deep reasons (e.g., Employee Values, Person–Job Mismatch). Theoretically, this study extends the applicability of the iceberg theory to the context of TBB, addressing a significant gap in the literature by providing a systematic analysis of its formation mechanisms and laying the groundwork for future empirical research on TBB. Practically, it offers actionable recommendations to help organizations manage TBB more effectively within their practices.

The fourth industrial revolution brings opportunities and challenges to career management for employers and employees. This study investigates employees' career crafting in preparation for the automation and transformation triggered by the fourth industrial revolution. Built on career construction theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the explanatory mechanism and boundary condition of career growth opportunities on career crafting. Through an online questionnaire platform, 322 valid questionnaires were collected in mainland China with convenience sampling. The results indicate that career growth opportunities have a direct and indirect (via organization-based self-esteem) positive impact on career crafting. These effects are stronger among employees with higher levels (vs. lower) of perceived environmental dynamism. By investigating the relationship between career growth opportunities and career crafting in the dynamic context, this study sheds new light on this vital issue overlooked in previous proactive behavioural research fields. Based on career construction theory, the mediator and boundary conditions of this mechanism were also explicated. This study assists employers in helping employees identify opportunities in their careers and plan their careers better to prepare for industrial transformation and dynamic environments.