When what you have is who you are: Self-uncertainty leads individualists to see themselves in their possessions

Four studies tested whether uncertainty about the self-concept can motivate people,particularly individualists who define themselves in terms of their personal traits and characteristics,to perceive their material possessions as extensions of themselves (i.e.,as self-expressive). in study 1,european american participants rated their favorite pair of blue jeans as more self-expressive after being induced to feel self-uncertain,whereas asian american participants did not. in study 2,participants who scored high on a measure of individualism rated their cars as more self-expressive following a self-uncertainty manipulation. in study 3,individualists (but not collectivists) rated their favorite possessions as more self-expressive after being subject to self-uncertainty; a manipulation of self-irrelevant uncertainty did not produce these results. in study 4,thinking about a self-expressive (relative to utilitarian) possession bolstered self-certainty among individualists,but not collectivists. implications for research on culture,the self-concept,and possessions are discussed. © 2011 by the society for personality.