Helfrich (1999) has provided an alternative view to guide cross-cultural research: the
‘principle of triarchic resonance’. According to this framework, every observable behaviour
takes the specific form of interaction between the three components individual, task and
culture. Culture exists independently of the individual and the task and remains relatively
stable. On the microgenetic level, the task challenges the competence and stimulates the
motivation of the individual. The evoked psychological processes lead to an observable
performance. The ontogenetic perspective refers to the quantity and quality of prior
individual experience. Finally, the perspective of cultural genesis focuses on the dynamics
of a society’s value system that affect the structure of the task as well as individual
competencies and traits. Motives, interests and competencies are thus culture-specific.