Individualism vs. Collectivism: Cultural Value Patterns
Introduction
Based on comparative studies of different cultures, researchers in anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, international management, linguistics, and intercultural communications have uncovered specific value patterns. Hofstede differentiated four cultural variability dimensions in his study. The first and most important of these dimensions, the one that shapes our sense of self, is the collectivistic and individualistic value pattern. The other three are Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, and Femininity masculinity.
Collectivism
Collectivism is associated with traditional culture. It is common in Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Cultures characterized by collectivism emphasize relationships among people to a greater degree. They stress interdependent activities and suppressing individual aims for the group welfare. Oyserman, Coon, and Kemmelmeier point out that collectivism is linked to a sense of duty to the group, interdependence, harmony, and working with the group.
Collectivistic societies are characterized by extended primary groups like the family, neighborhood, etc., the groups in which members have mutual obligations and expectations based on their status or rank. People are not seen as isolated individuals; a person’s identity is defined by his group membership. The collectivist is emotionally connected to the in-group; his values and beliefs are consistent with and reflect those of the in-group.
People in these kinds of cultures do not usually belong to a lot of groups, but their relationships and group affiliation last long. Because group harmony is so important, obedience to and compliance with the group pressure is routine. A person’s behavior is guided more by shame than personal guilt. A collectivist who stands out from the group disrupts the harmony and may be punished. Most collectivistic cultures value face-saving, fulfillment of others’ needs, social reciprocity, obligation, dependence, and obedience. But the primary value, stressed by many collectivistic cultures, is harmony. In collectivistic cultures, child-rearing emphasizes conformity, obedience, security, and reliability. Collectivistic parents teach their children the importance of family lineage and ancestry. They do not urge the children to be independent. Typically, the father dominates in the collectivist’s home, where rank in the family is often determined by sex and age. Collectivistic features may also be seen in workplaces. For example, when hiring a new employee or making a decision about promoting someone, the employer usually consults the group members. Another thing worth mentioning is the concept of space and privacy. Space and privacy are less important than relationships. For example, in traditional Asian houses, all the rooms except the bathroom may not have doors. Living together with your family is quite accepted; children might not have separate rooms. People can work together in the office, which can be an open space area. In a word, in collectivistic cultures, the key unit is the group, and”w” is emphasized over the”I”
Individualism
Individualism is a strong component of modern culture. American scholar Balk notes that since the Middle Ages, the awareness of the concept of self has become more individualistic, which is evidenced by the growing popularity of self-oriented objects like mirrors, self-portraits, etc. Modern individualism has its roots in the 16th and 17th centuries in England and is based on the ideas of English and Scottish philosophers (Locke, Bacon, More). Individualistic cultural patterns are found in the northern and western regions of Europe and North America. The top individualistic values are freedom, honesty, and comfort. In an individualistic culture, the interests and goals of the individuals prevail over those of the group. Triandis writes that social behavior is guided by personal goals, attitudes, motivations, and other internal processes. Individualistic cultures stress values that benefit the individual person. The self is promoted because each person is viewed as a unique individuality, possessing distinctive talents and potentials. An individual’s uniqueness is very often rewarded. In the U.S.A., for example, there are various contests that recognize individuals’ accomplishments and qualities. People are publicly rewarded for being the most beautiful, thinnest, strongest, smartest, funniest, or the”bes” at whatever they aspire to.
Individuals are encouraged to pursue and develop their abilities and aptitudes. In many individualistic cultures, people are taught to be creative, self-reliant, and assertive.
Triandis and others have pointed out that an important ingredient of individualistic culture is that the individual is emotionally disconnected from in-groups such as the family. People are loosely integrated into the certain group they belong to.
Because the individual has been taught to be independent, social control depends more on personal guilt than on shame or other social forms of conformity. Ironically, members of this kind of culture tend to belong to many groups, but their affiliation with them is short-lived. Many of the groups to which an individual belongs are designed to enhance self-worth. Such groups may include self-help, therapy groups.
Triandis also mentions that child-rearing in individualistic cultures emphasizes independence, exploration, creativity, and self-reliance. Individualistic parents encourage their children to express themselves and be independent. Children are to leave home once they reach a certain age or educational level. In fact, it’s somewhat unusual if children past the age of about 21 still live with their parents. Decisions in the family are made democratically.
In an individualistic culture, when you meet a person, you want to know what the person does, his accomplishments, what kind of car he drives, the house he lives in, etc. You are not socially defined by your family name but by your individual accomplishments. In the U.S., for instance, there are just a few names that are socially known and important (Rockefeller, Kennedy, Hilton).
In the workplace, employer-employee relationships tend to be established by contract. Hiring and promotion decisions are based on skills and rules.
To sum up, here are the most important beliefs of people in individualistic cultures:
- The key unit is the individual,who is responsible for his own doings
The goal in most individualistic cultures is developing citizens capable of assuming accountability for personal issues and problems (Choosing career,marriage partner etc.)
Individual identity
Breakable contracts.People view the relationships as contracts that can be broken at anytime. (Divorces for example )
- Space and privacy are important. For example ,the children usually have separate bedrooms.Or in the office a closed door signals a desire for privacy,entering without knocking is unacceptable.
In addition gender differences exist in adherence to individualistic or relation based values.For example U. S. males ,unlike the females, generally adhere to individualistic values rather than to communal based values.However ,compared with women from collectivistic cultures( Italy,Latin America ) , females from the U. S. are still fairly individualistic.
Hofstede’s data revealed several associations with the mentioned dimension:
- Wealth. There is a strong relationship between a nation’s wealth and individualism
Geography. Countries with moderate and cold climates tend to show more individualism.People living in warmer climates are more collectivistic.
Birth rates. Countries with higher birth rates tend to be collectivistic and vise versa
- History . Confucian countries are collectivistic ( China,Vietnam ) and migrants from Europe who populated Canada,New Zeland tend to be sufficiently individualistic than people from their native country,.