Cultural Conceptualizations of Power and Their Behavioral Consequences Among Asian American Biculturals

This study expands cross-cultural research on power by investigating Asian American biculturals’ behavioral reactions to power and how this process is influenced by situational and individual difference factors – mainly, primed cultural cues and degrees of cultural identity integration. Through the use of the action tendency scenario task, we found bicultural individuals with high bicultural identity integration (high BII) were more likely to show cultural assimilation effects, where they exhibited greater action tendency when exposed to power versus the control condition under American cultural cues; they showed less action tendency when they were exposed to East Asian cultural cues. In contrast, low BII biculturals were more likely to exhibit cultural contrast effects to power primes under East Asian and American cultural cues. Specifically, they exhibited less action tendency when exposed to power versus the control condition under American cultural cues; they showed greater action tendency under East Asian cultural cues. The current research contributes to conflict and negotiation literature as culturally based power displays and confrontations are important features in interpersonal conflicts. The growing number of bicultural citizens and their increasing importance in organizational diversity and international business also make this research valuable to understand their inner psyche and potential behavioral outcomes in conflicts and negotiations