Iowa State University

Susan Cross

From the time we are children, we are required to answer the question “Who am I?”How we answer that question influences all domains of our life – our relationships, our careers, our thoughts, our feelings, our choices… the list is endless.  My research focuses on how people define themselves, and the consequences of self-definition for thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Currently, much of my research addresses a particular dimension of self-definition, the Relational Self-Construal.  Individuals who have constructed a highly relational self-construal will tend to define themselves in terms of their close relationships with others.  This form of self-definition contrasts with the independent self-construal, in which the self is viewed as autonomous and separated from others.  For many years, social psychologists assumed that everyone constructed a very individualistic, independent self-construal, and many theories in social psychology are based on this assumption.  Recent research, however, has revealed that there is substantial variability in the self; many theories based on an assumption that the self is independent and separated from others require revision in light of the relational self-construal.  Recent papers have examined the role of the relational self-construal in social cognition, in the development of closeness in relationships, and in well-being. (Click here for titles and abstracts.)

I am also very interested in cross-cultural psychology, and much of my research on the relational self-construal grew out of cross-cultural work (click here for titles).  Currently, Jon Gore (a 5^th year graduate student) and I are collaborating on research with a Japanese colleague.  This study examines cultural differences in the self and their consequences for motivation and achievement.  I am also developing a research collaboration with some Turkish social psychologists.

For students investigating graduate schools:

I am very interested in admitting one or two graduate students for the 2004-2005 school year.  I enjoy working closely with students, and I’ve had the privilege of working with excellent students through the years.  I supervise no more than 3 students at a time, so there are plenty of opportunities to work closely on research.  Most students in the social program at ISU desire an academic career, so the program is oriented toward close student-faculty collaboration and interaction.  For more information about the graduate program in social psychology at ISU, click here. 

Selected Papers on the Relational Self-Construal

Cross, S. E., Gore, J. S., & Morris, M. L. (2003, November).  The relational self-construal, self-concept consistency, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Cross, S. E., & Gore, J. S. (in press).The relational self-construal and the construction of closeness.  In A. Aron & D. Mashek (Eds.), The handbook of closeness and intimacyHillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Inc.

Gore, J. S., & Cross, S. E. (2003) There’s more to me than just me: The relational self-construal and relational motivation.  Manuscript under revision.

Gore, J. S., Cross, S. E., & Morris, M. L. (2003). Let’s be friends: The relational self-construal, relationship development and maintenance.  Manuscript in preparation.

Cross, S. E. , & Morris, M. L. (2003). Getting to know you: The relational self-construal, relational cognition, and well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 512-523.

Cross, S. E., Morris, M.L, & Gore, J. (2002). Thinking about oneself and others: The relational-interdependent self-construal and social cognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 399-418.

Cross, S. E., & Vick, N. (2001). The interdependent self-construal and social support: The case of persistence in engineering. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 820-832.

Cross, S. E., Bacon, P., & Morris, M. (2000).  The relational- interdependent self-construal and relationships.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 791-808.

Cross, S. E., & Madson, L.  (1997). Models of the self:  Self-construals and gender.  Psychological Bulletin, 122, 5-37.

Selected papers on Culture and the Self

Kanagawa, C., Cross, S. E., & Markus, H. R. (2001).  "Who am I?": The cultural psychology of the conceptual self.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 90-103.

Gore, J. S., Cross, S. E., & Kanagawa, C. Cultural variation in the self:  Implications for self-determined motivation. Manuscript in preparation.

Cross, S. E.  (1995).  Self-construals, coping, and stress in cross-cultural adaptation.  Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 26, 673-697.

Cross, S. E., & Gore, J. (2002). Cultural models of the self.  In M. Leary & J. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of Self and Identity (pp. 536-564).New York: Guilford.

Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4518. Published by: ISBR Computer Support, webadmin@isbr.iastate.edu. Copyright © 1998-2004, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.