Abstract
Bowen’s differentiation of self theory emphasizes differentiation of self as an important indicator of healthy functioning. This may depend, however, on culturally based variations in self construal as independent and interdependent. A sample of 368 ethnically diverse college students completed the Differentiation of Self inventory, the Self Construal Survey, and the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory. Four 2 X 2 analyzes of variance did not support an interaction effect. Means varied significantly by ethnicity (p < .01) and gender (p < .01), but not by self construal. Emotional cutoff and fusion with others, as aspects of differentiation of self, both had significant main effects on anxiety, so that higher scores indicated less anxiety (both p < .01). Independence also unexpectedly reduced anxiety (p < .01). Independence also correlated with emotional cutoff (r = .19) and fusion with others (r = .28). Other findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.