STRATEGIC ASPECTS OF CULTURAL SCHEMA: A KEY FOR EXAMINING HOW CULTURAL VALUES ARE PRACTICED IN REAL-LIFE SETTINGS

To investigate how cultural values are practiced in real-life settings, the present study explored strategic aspects of cultural schema, which function in actual execution of culturally valued behavior. We focused on Self-denigrating Humor Schema (SHS), referring to a knowledge structure, which guides a person to produce laughter and to present the deprecated self, so that the person can construct friendly relationships with others. We believe that people from the Kansai Province (Osaka-area in Japan) have acquired strategic aspects of SHS, a concrete and direct knowledge of how selfdenigrating humor should actually be carried-out to develop relationships. Consequently, they would utilize the strategies of producing laughter and presenting the deprecated self, while engaging in blunder-telling behavior; one type of daily selfdenigrating humor. To test this expectation, employing a pen-and-paper method, we asked 57 Kansai and 48 Kanto university students (a comparison group) to exaggerate a blunder-story, in open-end format. Overall, the expected results were demonstrated, suggesting that strategic aspects of cultural schema are a key for investigating how people engage differently in culturally valued behavior in different daily contexts.