In the past decade a wealth of research has been conducted on the cultural
foundation of the self-concept, particularly with respect to East Asian and
North American selves. The present paper discusses how the self differs ac
ross these two cultural contexts, particularly with respect to an emphasis
on consistency versus flexibility, an intraindividual versus an extraindivi
dual focus, the malleability of the self versus world, the relation of self
to others, and self-enhancing versus self-critical motivations. These diff
erences reveal the manifold ways that culture shapes the self.