Person-culture fit boosts national pride: A cross-cultural study among 78 societies

Abstract

Individuals whose personal values match the values of the culture to which they belong to (i.e., person-culture fit) have a better evaluation of themselves. However, whether individuals who experience person-culture fit endorse more positive evaluations of the culture they belong to (e.g., nationality) remains an open question. We tested whether person-culture fit in terms of values (i.e., value congruence) would be associated with national pride (N = 171,528). Response surface analyses showed that value congruence effects on national pride were contingent on the type of values examined. Value congruence in terms of achievement, security, conformity, tradition, benevolence, and universalism was associated with higher national pride. In contrast, value congruence in terms of self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, and power was associated with lower national pride.