Comparative Investigation of Adolescents' Generalized Pliance and Psychological Inflexibility across Cultural Contexts

Generalized pliance is a pattern of rule-governed behavior characterized by having social approval as the main source of reinforcement. Recent research has found that generalized pliance is related to psychological inflexibility. As generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility are learned through social interaction, there may be differences in these processes across cultures. The present study examined adolescents' generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility with respect to cultural context and gender in a sample of adolescents (n= 508) aged 12-17 in the Irish and Colombian contexts. Generalized pliance was higher in the Irish context than in the Colombian context. In the Irish context, females reported greater generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility than males. In the Colombian context, females reported greater psychological inflexibility than males. Findings are discussed with reference to the need for longitudinal studies across different cultures to analyze developmental trajectories of generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility.

Automated summary

This study examined the impact of cultural context and gender on generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility. It found that generalized pliance was higher in the Irish context compared to the Colombian context. In the Irish context, females reported higher levels of generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility compared to males. In the Colombian context, females reported higher levels of psychological inflexibility compared to males. Longitudinal studies across different cultures are needed to analyze the developmental trajectories of generalized pliance and psychological inflexibility.