I would posit that part of the reason behind differences in illusory superiority are due to a difference in how you measure narcissism between cultures. You can't use the same test in a Western culture as you would an Eastern culture.
Collectivist cultures aren't immune to the narcissistic problem. They're just narcissistic in different ways. In fact, I would say they're more susceptible to it. Look at the whole Chinese "Tiger Mom" thing. Asian cultures place very high expectations on their people just as Western cultures do.
A western narcissist would say "I'm God's gift to mankind". An eastern narcissist would say "I'm God's gift to the collective/family/cooperative".
For example, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory is based on the DSM, an American diagnostic tool. One of the questions is: Do you "prefer to blend in with the crowd" or "prefer to be the center of attention". I would imagine a more Eastern narcissist would choose the former while a more Western narcissist would choose the latter. Also, "I am more assertive" vs "I wish I were more assertive". People from face-saving cultures probably wouldn't even know how to answer this, while a Western narcissist would probably choose the former.
Collectivist cultures aren't immune to the narcissistic problem. They're just narcissistic in different ways. In fact, I would say they're more susceptible to it. Look at the whole Chinese "Tiger Mom" thing. Asian cultures place very high expectations on their people just as Western cultures do.
A western narcissist would say "I'm God's gift to mankind". An eastern narcissist would say "I'm God's gift to the collective/family/cooperative".
For example, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory is based on the DSM, an American diagnostic tool. One of the questions is: Do you "prefer to blend in with the crowd" or "prefer to be the center of attention". I would imagine a more Eastern narcissist would choose the former while a more Western narcissist would choose the latter. Also, "I am more assertive" vs "I wish I were more assertive". People from face-saving cultures probably wouldn't even know how to answer this, while a Western narcissist would probably choose the former.