Self-Enhancement in Latin America: Is It Linked to Interdependence?

This article investigates the phenomenon of self-enhancement—overestimating one’s positive traits—in Latin American individuals, a group culturally characterized by interdependence, and compares it with European Americans, who are typically considered independent. Across three studies involving Mexicans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, European Americans, and Japanese participants, Latin Americans demonstrated self-enhancement at levels comparable to European Americans but unlike East Asians, who typically show self-effacing tendencies. Notably, experimental priming in Ecuador revealed that Latin Americans exhibit stronger self-enhancement when interdependence (social connectedness) is activated rather than independence, suggesting that self-enhancement in Latin America serves to reinforce social bonds rather than individual distinctiveness. These findings challenge the prevailing assumption that self-enhancement is inherently linked to independence, highlighting cultural nuances in how positive self-perception functions within interdependent societies.