Negotiable Fate: Social Ecological Foundation and Psychological Functions

Evelyn W.M. Au; Chi yue Chiu; Zhi Xue Zhang; Lee Ann Mallorie; Avinish Chaturvedi; Madhu Viswanathan; Krishna Savani

doi:10.1177/0022022111421632

Negotiable Fate: Social Ecological Foundation and Psychological Functions

Evelyn W.M. Au, Chi yue Chiu, Zhi Xue Zhang, Lee Ann Mallorie, Avinish Chaturvedi, Madhu Viswanathan, Krishna Savani

Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Individuals can negotiate with fate for control through exercising personal agency within the limits that fate has determined, a belief that is referred to as negotiable fate. The current study examined: (a) the social ecological factors that contribute to the prevalence of this belief in negotiable fate and; (b) the psychological functions it serves. The results from a cross-cultural study suggested that negotiable fate is more prevalent in contexts where individuals face many constraints in the pursuit of their goals (i.e., in Mainland China versus the United States), and it promotes active coping and positive self-views in those contexts. The importance of understanding how fate beliefs are linked to sociocultural contexts was discussed in reference to the psychological control literature and cultural psychology.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	931-942
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Volume	43
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022111421632
Publication status	Published - 2012
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

constraints
cultural psychology
fate belief
implicit theories
sociocultural contexts

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Cultural Studies
Anthropology

More information

10.1177/0022022111421632

Cite this

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abstract = "Individuals can negotiate with fate for control through exercising personal agency within the limits that fate has determined, a belief that is referred to as negotiable fate. The current study examined: (a) the social ecological factors that contribute to the prevalence of this belief in negotiable fate and; (b) the psychological functions it serves. The results from a cross-cultural study suggested that negotiable fate is more prevalent in contexts where individuals face many constraints in the pursuit of their goals (i.e., in Mainland China versus the United States), and it promotes active coping and positive self-views in those contexts. The importance of understanding how fate beliefs are linked to sociocultural contexts was discussed in reference to the psychological control literature and cultural psychology.",

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AU - Au, Evelyn W.M.

AU - Chiu, Chi yue

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AU - Mallorie, Lee Ann

AU - Chaturvedi, Avinish

AU - Viswanathan, Madhu

AU - Savani, Krishna

PY - 2012

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AB - Individuals can negotiate with fate for control through exercising personal agency within the limits that fate has determined, a belief that is referred to as negotiable fate. The current study examined: (a) the social ecological factors that contribute to the prevalence of this belief in negotiable fate and; (b) the psychological functions it serves. The results from a cross-cultural study suggested that negotiable fate is more prevalent in contexts where individuals face many constraints in the pursuit of their goals (i.e., in Mainland China versus the United States), and it promotes active coping and positive self-views in those contexts. The importance of understanding how fate beliefs are linked to sociocultural contexts was discussed in reference to the psychological control literature and cultural psychology.

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Negotiable Fate: Social Ecological Foundation and Psychological Functions

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

More information

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