No abstract

Abstract. Congruence between own and reference group values promotes life satisfaction. Does this effect extend to value congruence with others with whom one does not interact but who share socio-demographic characteristics? We constructed 36 socio-demographic categories in a representative Russian national sample (N = 961). Correlations of individuals’ values with the mean value of their category indexed value congruence. Both a meta-analysis across the constructed groups and an individual level regression analysis confirmed a positive value congruence – life satisfaction effect. This effect held even when controlling for age, gender, education, religiosity, region, religion, and the 19 values on which the congruence score was based. Self-direction-action values moderated the effect: it was stronger the less important independence of action was to individuals.

In modern Russia, the Olympic Games are associated with nationalism. However, an opportunity to experience nationalistic pride may not be the only reason for people to like the event. The philosophy of Olympism portrays sport as an instrument to promote universal solidarity and internationalism, which could also be at the centre of peoples’ preferences. Moreover, the longstanding sportive past of the USSR may have resulted in a perception of the event as something that is valued as a tradition. This study tests which of these facets dominate the perception of the Olympic Games among Russians. We operationalize the three facets through the conceptually relevant values of Power, Universalism, and Tradition and use a survey (N = 421) to test how values of people relate to their attitudes towards the Olympics. The results show that preferences based on nationalism, Olympism, and Tradition coexist and attract people with different value priorities.

With the majority of social-psychological research still being conducted in Western countries, researchers from non-Western countries often adopt existing theories, constructs, and instruments that are not necessarily applicable to the contexts they are interested in. This paper discusses problems that might arise when transferring psychological constructs and instruments from one cultural setting to another. We use the case of a study of group-based guilt and shame in Russia that was carried out by the research team. First, we briefly discuss the original study and the problems we encountered while conducting it. We then analyze the results of eight in-depth semi-structured interviews that followed up the original study. Finally, we conduct a thematic analysis of Facebook commentaries (N=98) that participants left after filling out the original questionnaire. Based on these analyses, we suggest a checklist for researchers who plan to study a psychological construct that wasn’t studied in a given cultural context before. With this paper, we hope to highlight the importance of thorough and comprehensive adaptation of psychological constructs and instruments to new cultural settings.