Reference Information
Title: Coming of Age in Samoa
Author: Margaret Mead
Editor: Harper Perennial, 1928 (1971)
Chapter 9: The Attitude of the Personality
Summary
This chapter discussed the perception of a person's personality within the Samoan culture. Excessive personality traits are treated with a sort of superstition, it is acceptable to answer questions ambiguously, and relative comparisons of judgement rarely occur. Good and bad behavior is considered an inherent personality trait, and what judgments that do occur take place in terms of age groups.
Discussion
I found it particularly interesting that personality traits are not generally compared; the Samoans did not say who was the best or worst at something, but merely that many people are good at it. I also found it interesting that a person does not have privacy over their possessions -- their stuff could easily be given away while the person was temporarily not at home.
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