How do people define themselves, and what difference does one’s self-definition make? How does culture shape beliefs and practices regarding self and close relationships? Why is honor so important in some parts of the world? My research program weaves together three central dimensions of human experience -- self and identity, close relationships, and culture -- to address these critical questions about human behavior.

In particular, I have been examining the construct of honor in Turkey and the US (with collaborator Ayse Uskul), with a special focus on the ways interdependence with others influences responses to honor-related situation. In other research, I have been investigating Chinese conceptions of close relationships, and how traditional Chinese values, such as filial piety, influence beliefs about and decision-making in relationships. Finally, I continue my interest in self-construal, and have published an extensive review of recent on this topic (Cross, Hardin, & Gercek Swing, 2011).

Primary Interests:

Close Relationships
Culture and Ethnicity
Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Close Relationships
Culture and Ethnicity
Life Satisfaction, Well-Being

Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Social Self and Culture Laboratory
Interactive Map

Journal Articles:

Cross, S. E., Bacon, P., & Morris, M. (2000). The relational- interdependent self-construal and relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 791-808.
Cross, S. E., Gore, J. S., & Morris, M. (2003). The relational self-construal, self-consistency, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 933-944.
Cross, S. E., Hardin, E., & Gercek-Swing, B. (2011). The what, how, why, and where of self-construal. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 142-179.
Cross, S. E., & Madson, L. (1997). Models of the self: Self-construals and gender. Psychological Bulletin, 122, 5-37.
Cross, S. E., & Morris, M. (2003). Getting to know you: The relational self-construal, relational cognition, and well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 512-523.
Cross, S. E., Morris, M., & Gore, J. (2002). Thinking about oneself and others: The relational-interdependent self-construal and social cognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 399-418.
Gore, J. S., & Cross, S. E. (2006). Pursuing goals for us: Relationally-autonomous reasons in long-term goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 858-861.
Gore, J. S., Cross, S. E., & Kanagawa, C. (2009). Acting in our interests: Relational self-construal and goal motivation across cultures. Motivation and Emotion, 33, 75-87.
Gore, J. S., Cross, S. E., & Morris, M. L. (2006). Let’s be friends: The relational self-construal and the development of intimacy. Personal Relationships, 13, 83-102.
Terzino, K. A., & Cross, S. E. (2009). Predicting commitment in new relationships: Interactive effects of relational self-construal and power. Self & Identity, 8, 321-341.
Uskul, A. K., Cross, S. E., Sunbay, A., Gercek-Swing, B., & Ataca, B. (in press). Honor bound: The cultural construction of honor in Turkey and the Northern US. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
Wu, T-F, Yeh, K-H, Cross, S. E., Larson, L. M., Wang, Y-C, & Tsai, Y-L. (2010). Conflict with mothers-in-law and Taiwanese women’s marital satisfaction: The moderating role of husband behavior. The Counseling Psychologist, 38, 497-522.
Zhang, M., & Cross, S. E. (2011). Emotions in memories of success and failure: A cultural perspective. Emotion, 11, 866-880.

Other Publications:

Cross, S. E., & Gore, J. (2011). Cultural models of the self. In M. Leary & J. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of Self and Identity (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

Courses Taught:

Cultural Psychology
Introduction to Psychology

Cultural Psychology

Introduction to Psychology

Susan E. Cross
Department of Psychology
W112 Lagomarcino Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-3180
United States

Phone: (515) 294-3224
Fax: (515) 294-6424