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Psychometric evaluation of a Chinese translation of the relational and individual self-expansion scales

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Abstract

The self-expansion theory suggests that acquiring novel experiences, perspectives, and resources can expand people’s self-concepts (Aron & Aron, 1986). Many studies have demonstrated the implications of self-expansion for wellbeing in interpersonal and nonrelational contexts. Although scholars have proposed that self-expansion is a basic human motivation, research that supports its cross-cultural generalizability is limited. The present study aimed to contribute to the research (a) by validating a Chinese translation of the Self-Expansion Questionnaire (SEQ, Lewandowski & Aron, 2002) and the Individual Self-Expansion Questionnaire (ISEQ, Mattingly & Lewandowski, 2013)—the established measures of self-expansion in relational and nonrelational contexts, respectively; and (b) by assessing psychometric properties of a measure of the general self-expansion which modified and combined the SEQ and ISEQ. Study 1 conducted an online survey among 335 undergraduate students and examined the factor structures of the scales using exploratory factor analyses. Study 2 aimed to assess the scales among working adults (N = 327) and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis. Both the studies measured openness to experience, sensation seeking, and epistemic curiosity to test convergent validity of the self-expansion scales; and assessed their predictive validity by including self-efficacy, self-esteem, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction. Findings of the two studies showed that the Chinese scales had good internal reliability and validity, suggesting their applicability to Chinese adult populations. We discussed possible differences in the self-expansion of Chinese and members of individualist cultures and provided questions for future research on general self-expansion.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the research fund from MWOP Reserve at the Department of Applied Psychology of Lingnan University (#770056).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Psychology, Lingnan University, 8 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Sisi Liu

  2. School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, No.152, Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Ming Peng

  3. Department of Psychology, Monmouth University, 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ, USA

    Gary W. Lewandowski Jr.

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  1. Sisi Liu
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  2. Ming Peng
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  3. Gary W. Lewandowski Jr.
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Correspondence to Sisi Liu.

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Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Lingnan University. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Liu, S., Peng, M. & Lewandowski, G.W. Psychometric evaluation of a Chinese translation of the relational and individual self-expansion scales. Curr Psychol 42, 12671–12681 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02585-8

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