Sociodemographic Differences in Humility: The Role of Social Relations

Abstract

This study examines whether humility is associated with gender, education, and racial/ethnic group. We also investigate how social relations mediate these links across the life course. Data are from the Detroit Community Study, which focused on three prominent groups in the area: Arab Americans, African Americans, and White Americans (N=907). Findings indicate that Arab Americans and African Americans report greater humility than Whites. Further, social relations partially mediate this association, but only among older Arab Americans. Findings are discussed within a developmental science perspective to consider the relational aspects of the individual and context over the life course.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors would like to thank Angela Turkelson for her assistance with data analysis.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (55895, Antonucci, PI); and N.W. was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000433, UL1TR002240, AG024824-12).