As proposed herein, these construals are even more powerful than previously imagined. In contrast, individuals seek to maintain their independence from others by attending to the self and by discovering and expressing their unique inner attributes. American culture neither assumes nor values such an overt connectedness among individuals. The emphasis is on attending to others, fitting in, and harmonious interdependence with them. Many Asian cultures have distinct conceptions of individuality that insist on the fundamental relatedness of individuals to each other.
These construals can influence, and in many cases determine, the very nature of individual experience, including cognition, emotion, and motivation. read more read lessĪbstract: People in different cultures have strikingly different construals of the self, of others, and of the interdependence of the 2. We also attempt to resolve the following para. In particular, we examine evidence that a set of interrelated positive illusions-namely, unrealistically positive self-evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism-can serve a wide variety of cognitive, affective, and social functions. In this article, we review research suggesting that certain illusions may be adaptive for mental health and well-being. Moreover, these illusions often involve central aspects of the self and the environment and, therefore, cannot be dismissed as inconsequential. A substantial amount of research testifies to the prevalence of illusion in normal human cognition (see Fiske& Taylor, 1984 Greenwald, 1980 Nisbett & Ross, 1980 Sackeim, 1983 Taylor, 1983). Despite its plausibility, this viewpoint is increasingly difficult to maintain (cf. In this view, the well-adjusted person is thought to engage in accurate reality testing, whereas the individual whose vision is clouded by illusion is regarded as vulnerable to, if not already a victim of, mental illness. Decades of psychological wisdom have established contact with reality as a hallmark of mental health.
These positive illusions may be especially useful when an individual receives negative feedback or is otherwise threatened and may be especially adaptive under these circumstances. These strategies may succeed, in large part, because both the social world and cognitive-processing mechanisms impose niters on incoming information that distort it in a positive direction negative information may be isolated and represented in as unthreatening a manner as possible. Moreover, these illusions appear to promote other criteria of mental health, including the ability to care about others, the ability to be happy or contented, and the ability to engage in productive and creative work. Yet considerable research evidence suggests that overly positive selfevaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism are characteristic of normal human thought. Abstract: Many prominent theorists have argued that accurate perceptions of the self, the world, and the future are essential for mental health.