[The sources of self-knowledge and the cultural view of self]

A number of 1,604 respondents, divided into six age-categories, answered a questionnaire to examine the sources of self-knowledge as defined and measured by Schoeneman's method, and the cultural view of self measured by Takata's scale. The results revealed that adolescent categories displayed the strongest self-critical and interdependent tendencies, but referred to social sources (e.g., social feedback and social comparison) for self-knowledge least. On the contrary, adult categories were the most likely to refer to social sources in spite of their independent and self-enhancement tendencies. The results suggest that, positive self-images depend strongly on reference to social sources in Japanese culture, and that the independent construal of self, which is a dominant characteristic of Japanese people, is highly active in the adolescence period.