Abstract

Chemyon, social face in Confucian societies, has been observed as having influence on individual's behaviors and interpersonal relationships. However, few studies have been undertaken to investigate its psychological structures and processes. The present studies were performed to (a) develop a Chemyon-oriented Behaviors Scale (COBS) measuring individual differences in proclivity for doing Chemyon-oriented behaviors, (b) examine the dimensions of Chemyon and (c) examine the effects of other's evaluation of Chemyon on self-esteem. The results of Study 1 indicate that the COBS is internally consistent and that the COBS shows adequate discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrates that Chemyon consists of two distinct components : constructive and defensive Chemyon, and that these two components are significantly correlated. In Study 2, when participants' ability Chemyon was negatively evaluated by an expert, they felt shame and defined themselves defensively, and reported enhanced self-esteem as compared to when they were not evaluated. Conceptual differences between Chemyon and social face in western culture are discussed.