ABSTRACT
The present chapter focuses on the question: To what extent do political systems and other cultural factors concur in their influence on psychological processes? More specifically, it is asked how they work together in shaping people's efficacy expectations, as these have been identified as one of the most powerful predictors of motivation and successful performance. The chapter has three parts. First, the relevance of political system factors for efficacy appraisal is investigated by taking advantage of an experiment of culture, East and West Berlin before unification. Second, we examine the role of cultural factors independent of political system factors by comparing children's efficacy expectations in different cultures adhering to corresponding political systems: East Berlin versus Moscow and West Berlin versus Los Angeles. Third, we underline the prominent role of the combined working of political system and other cultural factors for efficacy appraisal by considering the value systems (see Smith, Dugan, & Trompenaars, 1996) and children's efficacy beliefs in three former Eastern bloc countries (Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic [GDR], Poland) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Finally, we suggest future research that could clarify the specific processes involved in efficacy appraisal across cultures.
