Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA in Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Ester Navarro Garcia

Abstract

This study investigated the role of culture and personality in shaping interpersonal functioning and social motivation among undergraduate students. With the increasing interests in how individual characteristics and cultural backgrounds influence social behavior, this research aimed to examine the interaction between cultural orientation (individualistic vs. collectivistic) and personality (introversion vs. extroversion) on social competence and motivation. The study utilized online questionnaires, including the Big 5 Personality Test, a Culture questionnaire, and a Social Functioning Questionnaire, to assess how these factors contribute to interpersonal engagement and social drive. The primary hypothesis posited that individuals from individualistic cultures and those with introverted personalities would perform worse in social competence compared to those from collectivist cultures and extroverted individuals. This hypothesis was based on data that collectivist and extroverted individuals are more likely to engage in social interactions and exhibit higher levels of social motivation. However, the results did not support the hypothesis, as no significant effect of cultural background on interpersonal functioning or social motivation was found. The F-value for the effect of culture was 0.427, with a p-value of 0.516, indicating that cultural orientation did not explain significant variance in either social competence or motivation within this sample. Similarly, while personality traits did not reach statistical significance, a trend toward differences in social competence and motivation was observed, suggesting that personality may still influence social behavior, though not in a statistically significant manner. The study also tested the interaction effect between culture and personality, exploring whether the relationship between personality traits and social motivation might differ depending on cultural background. However, the interaction was not significant (p = 0.5109), suggesting that culture and personality do not interact in the anticipated way in this sample. These findings challenge the notion that cultural background plays a powerful role in social behavior and motivation. While the expected relationships were not supported, the results invite further exploration of these factors in other populations and contexts to better understand their potential influences on social functioning.

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