A dynamic constructivist approach to culture: Lessons learned from personality psychology

The comparison of differences between cultural groups has been a dominant approach in cross-cultural psychology. This approach assumes behavioral influence of a relatively static, monolithic culture on members in a cultural group. This paper, however, calls for a dynamic constructivist approach to the study of culture. We begin by drawing a parallel between past research in cultural and personality psychology. We then highlight recent findings that attest to the value of a social-cognitive model of culture. Specifically, we discuss studies that have demonstrated how well established cross-cultural differences may appear or disappear depending on the availability, accessibility, and applicability of cultural theories. We present evidence that situational characteristics may render cultural theories more or less accessible and applicable, and propose a culture x situation interaction model for understanding inter- and intracultural variations. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.