Chapter 17 provides an introduction to the interface of culture and personality. The authors begin by discussing variability in cultural violations, to illustrate cultural variation.

Next, the authors define culture and cultural personality psychology. The authors then review the three major approaches to explaining and exploring personality across cultures: Evoked culture, transmitted culture, and cultural universals. Evoked culture refers to a way of considering culture that concentrates on phenomena that are triggered in different ways by different environmental conditions. The authors review theory and research on evoked cooperation, early experience and evoked mating strategies, and honors, insults, and evoked aggression.

Next, the authors discuss transmitted culture, which is defined as representations (ideas, values, attitudes, beliefs) that exist originally in at least one person's mind that are transmitted to other minds though observation or interaction with the original person. The authors review several examples of transmitted culture, including cultural differences in moral values, self-concept, self-enhancement, and personality variations within culture.

Finally, the authors review theory and research on cultural universals, including beliefs about the personality characteristics of men and women, emotions, personality evaluation, and the potential universality of the five-factor model of personality.