Cultural Normativity Index: A Profile Similarity Approach

Abstract

Cultures are marked by a sharedness – similarity in beliefs, values, moral codes, patterns of thinking and feeling – among other things. This sharedness is unequally distributed within the members of culture. But how do we measure this sharedness? Based on the distributive model of culture, and person-environment fit framework, this thesis identified a Cultural Normativity Index (CNI) – the extent to which an individual approximates to their societal aggregate. Employing a multilevel profile similarity approach, CNI is assessed across two broad psychological domains: Mindset (beliefs, values, norms) and Personality (trait tendencies, based on the Big Six) using item pools drawn from a variety of measures covering a broad area of the domains across two studies. Six and eight CNI types based on Mindset and personality domains were assessed in each study respectively. In Study 1 (N = 2,224) CNI was strongly associated with GLOBE (Assertiveness, Future Orientation, Ingroup Collectivism) and Big Six (Agreeableness, Resilience, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Originality) measures and weakly associated with subjective well-being. In Study 2 (N = 8,588) strongest associations with CNI were observed with the Big Two (Dynamism, Social self-regulation) and Values (Openness to Change, Self-Transcendence). Majority of the strongest associations were observed at the country-level. In Study 2, CNI was also found to be associated with place of family homes (urban vs. rural), mother’s and father’s education, and age. Furthermore, differences across CNI-types with respect to the varied associations with measures are discussed.