ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Self–other agreement in personality traits and profiles across cultures: A multirater, multiscale study in Blacks and Whites in South Africa
Velichko H. Fetvadjiev,
Deon Meiring, Fons J. R. van de Vijver,
J. Alewyn Nel, François De Kock,
Corresponding Author
Velichko H. Fetvadjiev
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Correspondence Velichko H. Fetvadjiev, Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research, School of Psychology, Victoria University, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, 6140. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorFons J. R. van de Vijver
Tilburg University, The Netherlands
North-West University, South Africa
University of Queensland, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorVelichko H. Fetvadjiev,
Deon Meiring, Fons J. R. van de Vijver,
J. Alewyn Nel, François De Kock,
Corresponding Author
Velichko H. Fetvadjiev
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Correspondence Velichko H. Fetvadjiev, Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research, School of Psychology, Victoria University, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, 6140. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorFons J. R. van de Vijver
Tilburg University, The Netherlands
North-West University, South Africa
University of Queensland, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: National Research Foundation Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowship 85176 and University of Pretoria Vice-Chancellor's Post-Doctoral Fellowship to first author
Abstract
Objective
Despite the importance of self–other agreement for the validity of trait models, few studies have assessed cultural differences systematically. We examined self–other agreement in traits and profiles in the more collectivistic Black group and the more individualistic White group in South Africa.
Method
Participants were 172 Black and 198 White students, and one relative and one friend of each student. Participants completed a behavior-based and a trait-adjective-based inventory.
Results
Aggregated across traits and raters, there were no cultural differences in trait agreement. However, agreement was stronger for social-relational concepts in Blacks and for personal growth concepts in Whites, providing moderate support for the hypothesis of stronger agreement on culturally more salient traits. Trait agreement was stronger in Blacks' relatives and Whites' friends, but there was no such interaction in profile agreement. The differences in profile agreement (higher in Whites than in Blacks) involved normative agreement and were mediated by dialecticism (higher in Blacks) and social desirability (higher in Whites). Results with the two inventories were similar.
Conclusions
In the framework of trait consistency research, cultural differences in self–other agreement may be limited compared to differences in perceived trait consistency, although sizable compared to differences in actual behavior consistency.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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