Identity processing styles and personal growth initiative in college students: The mediating role of cultural tightness–looseness

Cultural norms and their regulation in society account for individual behaviour and related psychological processes. This study investigated if and how cultural norm regulation mediated the relationship between identity processing styles and intentional personal growth. A sample of 613 students (mean age = 19.72 years, SD = 1.67 years; female = 454, 74.1%) completed the Revised Identity Styles Inventory-5; the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-2; and the Cultural Tightness– Looseness Scale. To investigate the hypothesised mediation, we tested direct and indirect effects models in Mplus. Of the 14 possible direct effects between the two viable identity styles (informational and diffuse-avoidant) and four dimensions of personal growth initiative (readiness for change, planfulness, using resources, and intentional behaviour), 12 were significant. And of the 12 pathways, only three were mediated by cultural tightness, namely informational style to readiness for change, planfulness, and intentional behaviour. The findings demonstrate the value of strict cultural norm regulation in facilitating intentional personal growth in this group.