Abstract
Decades of research with Western participants has documented that there is a pervasive motivation for people to view themselves as better off than others while evidence for the existence of such self-enhancement bias (SEB) among East Asians varies considerably across studies. Considering the traditional culture of Confucius on modesty, the present study hypothesizes that there should be no significant SEB among Chinese elders. Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 445 older people in China-Wuhan, in which the revised Chinese version of Image of Aging Scale (IAS-C) was filled out. SEB was calculated by subtracting participants' ratings of "Peer-Image" (P) from their ratings of Self-Image (S). However, inconsistent with our hypothesis, a significant SEB was observed among the Chinese older participants and significant differences in the magnitude of SEB were discerned among older people in different characteristic groups. Possible explanations were further provided for the mismatch between Chinese values and the existence of SEB.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-16 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | International Journal of Aging and Human Development |
Volume | 77 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2013 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- Ageing
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology