Personal Growth Initiative and Life Satisfaction in Chinese and American Students: Some Evidence for Using Resources in the East and Being Planful in the West

This study examined for cultural variations in personal growth initiative as a predictor of life satisfaction between 176 Chinese and 168 American college students. Comparative analyses of the personal growth initiative dimensions indicated lower readiness for change and planfulness, but higher using resources in Chinese, than in Americans. Results of regression analyses indicated that using resources was a unique predictor for Chinese, whereas planfulness was a unique predictor for Americans. Overall, these findings provide support for the global value of personal growth initiative as a positive psychological construct while also highlighting important cultural differences between Easterners and Westerners.