[A Japanese perception of self and others: self-critical and other-enhancing biases]

Previous research has found that Japanese people make relatively critical appraisals of themselves while their appraisals of others are relatively flattering. In order to find the conditions under which these two evaluation biases occur, 144 Japanese undergraduates were first asked to list ten attributes of theirs and then to rate the desirability of possessing each of them (self judgment). Next, someone else in the same class rated the desirability of each (other judgment). Subsequently, all the attributes generated in the study were shown to a separate group of students, who rated general desirability of possessing each of the attributes (consensual judgment). Results showed that relative to consensual judgment, self-judgment was lower (self-criticism), but other judgment was no different for those attributes that were consensually negative. For those consensually positive, however, self judgment was no different from the consensual, but other judgment was higher (other-enhancement). Based on these findings, it was suggested that Japanese self-criticism operated in a relational self-improvement process whereby individuals sought to find and correct their shortcomings so as to meet socially shared standards of excellence.