Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Cultural differences in explicit and implicit support provision and underlying motivations for self-esteem,
Rina Tanaka1, Shaofeng Zheng2, Keiko Ishii1
1Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
Abstract:
This research explores how culture influences the motivations underlying explicit (emotional and instrumental) and implicit (companionship and attentiveness) support provision. Two studies (N = 1,106) compared the responses of European Americans and Japanese individuals to a close other's stressful event. The results showed that European Americans were more likely than Japanese to provide explicit support and more motivated to increase the close other's self-esteem and feeling of closeness. Conversely, Japanese individuals were more likely to provide attentiveness support, motivated by concern for an entire group and a friend. These findings support the motivation as a mediator hypothesis. On the other hand, the culture as a moderator hypothesis applied to the association between concern for an entire group motivation and implicit support provision. Specifically, concern for an entire group motivation predicted companionship support provision only in Japanese, while it predicted attentiveness support provision mainly in European Americans.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cultural Influences on Personality
Social Proof
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Trait and State Self-Esteem
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

