Study 1 adopted parents of 1st and 2nd grade as well as 8th and 9th grade as participants to recall their children’s good performance or achievements. The results showed that parents of 8th and 9th grades recalled higher ratio of vertical distinctiveness (VD) than any other type of achievement while parents of 1st and 2nd grade recalled more good performance in the field of horizontal distinctiveness (HD). The three most mentioned categories of achievements for parents of 8th and 9th grades to mention were: VD, HD, and good behavior. However, it became HD, good behavior, and then VD respectively for parents of 1st and 2nd grades. Study 2 used scenario experimental method to examine parents’ reactions to the achievement of their high school children. The results found that parents would be more likely to encourage their children to pursue career in VD field, and felt more matched their expectation if their children pursue their career in VD field. On the contrary, parents would feel more regretful if their children pursue their future career in HD goals instead of VD. Interestingly, although parents experienced the same intensive feelings of having face when their children had a success in the field of VD versus HD, they did feel having more face on their daughter’s success in VD goals and less having face in HD goals comparing to the same success of their son.
Relation:
The Asian Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences, Conference Proceedings 2013, pp.101-115
