Interdependent Self‐Construal

Abstract Self‐construal refers to how a person conceptualizes the relationship between the self and others. A self‐view that emphasizes one's close relationships (e.g., “I'm Michelle's best friend,” “I'm an older sister”) and important group memberships (e.g., “I'm Mexican‐American,” “I'm on the volleyball team”) is said to constitute an interdependent self‐construal. By constructing an identity based largely on one's varied social roles, interdependent self‐construals encourage perceiving the self as fundamentally similar and connected to others and flexible across situations. In other words, thinking of the self as part of a larger “we” instead of “me” characterizes interdependent self‐construals. When construing the self as interdependent, interactions with people in the social world involve a desire to maintain social harmony, which often requires regulating the self in keeping with social norms and expectations. It is important to note that although there are striking similarities between the concepts of collectivism and interdependent self‐construal, interdependent self‐construal is employed to describe the psychological experiences of individuals, whereas the dimension of collectivism is used in reference to cultures more generally.