Title: Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Headings: Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Both culture and gender are important factors that influence the development of personality.
Learning Objective
Key Points
Terms
Full Text
Culture and Personality
Gender and Personality
Influence of gender roles on personality expression
Approaches to Studying Personality in a Cultural Context
Allport's, Cattell's, and Eysenck's Trait Theories of Personality

Content: Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
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Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Both culture and gender are important factors that influence the development of personality. Learning Objective
Discuss the impact of culture and gender on personality development
Key Points
Personality is influenced by both biological and environmental factors; culture is one of the most important environmental factors that shapes personality. Considering cultural influences on personality is important because Western ideas and theories are not necessarily applicable to other cultures. Research shows that the strength of personality traits varies greatly across cultures. People who live in individualist cultures tend to value independence, competition, and personal achievement, while people from collectivist cultures tend to value social harmony, respectfulness, and group needs. In much the same manner that cultural norms can influence personality and behavior, gender norms also emphasize different traits between different genders and thereby influence the development of personality. In the U.S., aggression and assertiveness are emphasized as positive traits for males, while submissiveness and caretaking are emphasized for females. There are three approaches that can be used to study personality in a cultural context: the cultural-comparative approach, the indigenous approach, and the combined approach, which incorporates elements of the first two approaches.