My work is part of a cultural comparison study about the self and the self concept from young people at the age of 18 to 25 in Peru as well as in former East and West Germany. It is interesting to know the whole structure about the self concept where the single elements of knowledge refer to one another and not the single independent variables. To get an idea about this concept you need to work methodologically. We used qualitative structured interviews with basic questios like "How should the ideal person be" or "How do you describe responsibility."
Table of Contents
I. Theoretical Models to explain development
1. The structured approach
2. The early adulthood as a developmental stage
II. Methods
1. Different methods and their problems
2. Samples
4. Adulthood interview
III. Results
1. Results about the conception of responsibility in Peru
2. Results about the conception of ideal person in Peru
3. Results about the conception of responsibility in Germany
4. Results about the conception of ideal person in Germany
5. Comparison
IV. Discussion
1. Age and developmental tasks as independent variables
2. Reflection about responsibility and ideal person
VI. Future perspectives
Research Objectives and Topics
This work aims to examine the cross-cultural structures of the self-concept and individual conceptions of human nature, focusing on young adults aged 18 to 25 in Peru and Germany. The central research question explores whether there is a universal logic to developmental stages in self-concept structures or if these are fundamentally dependent on specific cultural environments.
- Cross-cultural comparison of self-concept structures between Peru and Germany.
- Application of qualitative structured interviews and dilemma-methods according to Kohlberg and Selman.
- Developmental stage theory in relation to individual action theory and responsibility.
- Analysis of cognitive complexity and the integration of social environment in self-conception.
- Observation of changes in cognitive structures over a two-year longitudinal period (1996–1998).
Excerpt from the Book
The five stages: (Oerter, R., 1995)
Stage I: Human beings are conceived as actors characterised by overt actions (driving a car, sewing, cooking, working) and material and social possessions (owning a house, having a wife and children). Actions are not clearly differentiated into goal, means, and end.
Stage II: Humans are seen as owners of psychological traits. Psychological concepts are conceptualised as dispositions explaining the stability of behaviour across time and situations. Social partners have an instrumental function, they are necessary as a means for reaching a goal just as the subject him/herself is instrumental for others (instrumental exchange). The action theory at Stage II becomes differentiated into the sequence goal - means - end. The subject realises that psychological costs may have to be invested in order of further development.
Stage III a: The autonomous identity forms the core of covert psychological entities and organises them for a meaningful life-style. This identity is attributed to all persons, and therefore everybody has the right to choose his/her own way and to build a different value system. Relativistic thinking in this stage allows to justify the existence of contradicting value systems and life-styles. The action theory is expanded by considering the consequences of actions and feeling responsible for them.
Summary of Chapters
I. Theoretical Models to explain development: Outlines the structural approach to self-concept and defines early adulthood as a critical developmental stage within this framework.
II. Methods: Describes the interview process, the sampling of participants from Peru and Germany, and the methodology used to classify individual responses.
III. Results: Details the empirical findings regarding conceptions of responsibility and the ideal person, comparing data from Peru and Germany across different years.
IV. Discussion: Evaluates the influence of age and developmental tasks on cognitive thinking and reflects on the observed shifts in responsibility and ideal self-conceptions.
VI. Future perspectives: Suggests potential directions for further research and the continued refinement of the developed graphical models.
Keywords
Self-concept, Cross-cultural study, Developmental psychology, Implicit anthropology, Responsibility, Ideal person, Action theory, Cognitive structure, Qualitative interviews, Cultural comparison, Identity, Developmental stages, Social interaction, Ethnotheory, Human nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work focuses on the cross-cultural comparison of self-concept structures, specifically how young adults in Peru and Germany define their self-concept, responsibility, and the ideal person.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The central themes include developmental psychology, the structure of knowledge regarding the self, the influence of culture on individual identity, and the hierarchy of developmental stages.
What is the main research question of this study?
The study investigates whether universal logic exists in the developmental stages of self-concept or if these structures are primarily formed by specific cultural environments.
Which scientific methods were applied in this study?
The researcher utilized qualitative structured interviews and integrated dilemma-methods based on the work of Kohlberg and Selman to categorize the responses of the participants.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body presents the methodological approach, extensive empirical results through graphical representations, and a comparative analysis of the data collected from 1996 to 1998.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include self-concept, cultural comparison, responsibility, developmental stages, implicit anthropology, and action theory.
How do "ideal person" definitions change according to the presented graphics?
The graphics show a transition from simple actor-based definitions in lower stages to more complex, dialectic, and identity-oriented definitions in higher stages, often incorporating social and societal interactions.
What difference did the study find between East and West German participants?
The findings indicate that participants from different cultural backgrounds showed varying tendencies toward developmental progress, with the study highlighting specific shifts in cognitive complexity and responsibility awareness over the two-year period.
- Quote paper
- Petra Ursula Decker (Author), 1999, Culture and self concept, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/29661
