The importance of the trait concept for personality psychology, and in the prediction of mental health, is well-established in Western psychology, but has been challenged by cultural psychologists and individualism-collectivism theorists. The broad objectives of this research are: (a) to achieve a theoretical and empirical integration of the cultural psychology and trait psychology perspectives; and (b) to demonstrate the relevance of personality traits for self-concept, causal inferences about behavior, and the consistency and prediction of behavior in all cultures. Specific hypotheses will be tested in cross-cultural studies involving an individualistic culture (the U.S.) and a collectivistic culture (the Philippines). First, a new measure that measures the extent to which individuals believe that behavior is determined by personality traits (implicit trait theorists) or situational context (implicit contextual theorists) will be refined and validated across cultures. Then, free-response and objective inventory measures of self-concept will be used to test the hypothesis that individuals in all cultures incorporate personal attributes, including traits, in their self-concepts, but that individuals in collectivistic cultures (and implicit contextual theorists) do so less than individuals in individualistic cultures (and implicit trait theorists). Inferences about behaviors encountered in naturalistic settings will be used to test the hypothesis that individuals in all cultures make trait inferences from behavior, but that individuals in individualistic cultures (and implicit trait theorists) do so more readily, while individuals in collectivistic cultures (and implicit contextual theorists) make situational inferences more readily. Self and mean acquaintance ratings on personality traits will be compared across cultures to test the hypothesis that individuals in individualistic cultures (and implicit trait theorists) exhibit self-enhancement tendencies to a greater extent than do individuals in collectivistic cultures (and implicit contextual theorists). The extent of inter-judge and cross-role agreement in personality ratings will be compared across cultures to test the hypothesis that individuals in individualistic cultures, and those whose behavior is guided more by their traits than by the situational context (i.e., low self-monitors), exhibit greater consistency of trait relevant behavior across situational contexts and across roles than do individuals in collectivistic cultures (and those who are high in self-monitoring). Experience sampling methods will be used to test the hypothesis that cross-situational consistency and personality-prediction of behavior are greater for individuals in individualistic cultures (and low self-monitors) than for individuals in collectivistic cultures (and high self-monitors).
