Cross-cultural measurement of experience: Taiwanese and Americans' peak performance, peak experience, misery, failure, sport, and average events

Percept Mot Skills. 1997 Jun;84(3 Pt 2):1459-82. doi: 10.2466/pms.1997.84.3c.1459.

Abstract

To compare Taiwanese and Americans on selected experiential personality dimensions, the Experience Questionnaire was translated and tested with 27 Taiwanese in an American university. Descriptions by 129 Taiwanese of peak performance, peak experience, misery, failure, sport, and average events were compared with those made by 123 Americans. Analysis of variance with repeated measures of factors indicated that both samples uniformly characterized processes of peak performance as full focus with clarity of self in process. The Taiwanese considered failure more significant than the Americans who denied clarity of self in misery and failure and more generally endorsed peak experience than the Taiwanese. The study extends the credibility of experience: experiential events can simultaneously have cross-cultural generality and inner processes that are culturally sensitive.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison*
  • Emotions*
  • Ethnicity / psychology*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Life Change Events
  • Male
  • Personality Inventory / statistics & numerical data
  • Personality*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sports / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Taiwan
  • United States