Abstract

This paper presents two studies that aim to unpack cultural variations in general social anxiety and the offensive-type of Taijin Kyofusho (OTKS) – a type of social anxiety characterized by the extreme fear of offending others. Cultural variations in the expression and manifestation of social anxiety are well established; however, the mechanisms underpinning this relation are unclear. The present studies use the Parallel Multiple Mediation Model to study how social anxiety and OTKS are jointly shaped by self-construal and intolerance of uncertainty. Study 1 compared Euro-Canadians and Chinese migrants in Canada. Results showed a mean group difference in OTKS, but not social anxiety, with the difference mediated by intolerance of uncertainty (IU). Study 2 tested this pattern of multiple mediations in Japanese, Chinese and Euro-Canadian cultural contexts. Results showed significant differences among these three cultural groups on both social anxiety and OTKS via multiple mediators (e.g., independent vs. interdependent self-construals and IU). Findings in both studies revealed that OTKS seems to be a psychopathology that is not specific to Japanese participants. The underlying mechanisms and processes of OTKS are also significantly different from social anxiety. Significant cultural variations in social anxiety and OTKS between Chinese vs. Japanese cultural contexts were observed in Study 2. These studies demonstrate the conceptual and empirical advantages of using more complex models to unpack the psychological mechanisms shaping cultural variations in social anxiety and OTKS.