Is there a universal need for positive self-regard?

It is assumed that people seek positive self-regard; that is, they are moti vated to possess, enhance, and maintain positive self-views. The cross-cult ural generalizability of such motivations was addressed by examining Japane se culture. Anthropological, sociological, and psychological analyses revea led that many elements of Japanese culture are incongruent with such motiva tions. Moreover, the empirical literature provides scant evidence for a nee d for positive self-regard among Japanese and indicates that a self-critica l focus is more characteristic of Japanese. It is argued that the need for self-regard must be culturally variant because the constructions of self an d regard themselves differ across cultures. The need for positive self-rega rd as it is currently conceptualized, is not a universal, but rather is roo ted in significant aspects of North American culture. Conventional interpre tations of positive self-regard are too narrow to encompass the Japanese ex perience.