Collective Self-Esteem and Personal Self-Esteem Changes under the Group-Directed Threat within the Chinese Cultures

Based on social identity theory, this research investigated how group-directed threats impact collective self-esteem and personal self-esteem within the Chinese culture. The result revealed that collective self-esteem and personal self-esteem under a group-directed threat were significantly lower than under the control condition. Furthermore, the scores of the membership self-esteem and the public collective self-esteem (two dimensions in collective self-esteem) were significantly lower in the threat group compared with the control group. Cultural differences might be the moderator between the group-directed threat and self-esteem. The implications of self-concept under the threat condition are discussed.