What is the difference between collectivist and individualistic cultures

They do not view individuals as independent units; they perceive them as interdependent with each other. In exchange, others can also be depended on in times of need. Hence, kinship and community are highly essential.

Certain behaviors are associated with this culture. Generally, other members of the group should first be consulted when making major decisions. Moreover, collectivist cultures focus more on the context than on the content of the communication. For example, elements such as tone of voice, eye contact, facial expression, and position of body are more accurate indicators of how a person is feeling that what he is actually saying.

In addition, members of a collectivist society value links with their past as evidenced by their interest in genealogies and events like reunions. This cultural pattern is commonly observed among traditional communities. Individualistic culture focuses on human independence and freedom.

It opposes the principles of collectivist cultures which prioritize tradition and group goals. Hence, a person is positively viewed if he is assertive and independent. Members of individualistic cultures focus on individual rights, uniqueness, and self-reliance.

However, it has been observed that there is an increasing trend of individualistic cultures across nations and that this may be associated with the improvement of socioeconomic status. On the other hand, individualistic culture focuses on human independence and freedom.

In one experiment, participants from American and Japanese cultures were asked to select a pen. The majority of pens were the same color, and a few pens had a unique color. Most American participants chose the uniquely-colored pen.

The Japanese participants, on the other hand, were much more likely to choose the majority color, even though they preferred the unique color. This may have been because, coming from a collectivistic culture, the Japanese participants instinctively valued interpersonal harmony above personal preference and thus chose the inoffensive behavior of leaving the unique pens for others who might want them.

Research shows that collectivistic cultures are more accepting of socially reticent and withdrawn behaviors. In one study, people in these cultures displayed higher levels of social anxiety in comparison to those from individualistic cultures. However, it may not be collectivist values alone that contributed to this. People in Latin American collectivist countries, for example, displayed lower levels of social anxiety than did people in East Asian collectivist countries.

This may be due to an emphasis on group harmony and a higher value on qualities such as sociability—factors that may help decrease social anxiety—in Latin American cultures.

People in collectivist cultures tend to be more cautious about sharing their personal problems with their friends. Research shows some of the reasons why they hesitate to seek social support include concern about worrying others, disrupting the harmony of the group, losing face, and making the problem worse.

Instead, people often seek out what is known as implicit social support. This involves spending time with supportive people without actually addressing the source of the stress. Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Lu C, Wan C.

Cultural self-awareness as awareness of culture's influence on the self: Implications for cultural identification and well-being. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. Relational mobility and close relationships: A socioecological approach to explain cross-cultural differences. Pers Relations. Psychology Wiki Explore. Animal defensive behavior Kinesis Animal escape behavior Cooperative breeding Sexual cannibalism Cannibalism zoology Animal aggressive behavior.

Recent Blogs Community portal forum. Register Don't have an account? Collectivist and individualist cultures. Edit source History Talk 9. Please help recruit one, or improve this page yourself if you are qualified. This banner appears on articles that are weak and whose contents should be approached with academic caution. While in more collectivistic culture, people are loyal to their inner group by birth, such as their extended family and their local community.

Japanese are experienced as collectivistic by Western standards and experienced as Individualist by Asian standards. The Israeli society is a blend of Individualist and collectivistic cultures And at the same time extended families, with many children and close ties to all other family members are a part of society as well. There is a strong belief in the ideal of self-actualization.

Communal solidarity and similarity was officially claimed. Since the s, however, Israel has become an increasingly individualist-oriented culture. Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

With a score of 13 points Israel is at the very low end of this dimension compared to other countries. Showed that different cultures have different views on what is intelligent and what is stupid. Intelligence is one general ability that underlies all specific mental capabilities. This contrasts with individualistic cultures, which often place a greater emphasis on characteristics such as assertiveness and independence.

Collectivist cultures, such as those of China, Korea, and Japan, emphasize family and work group goals above individual needs or desires. Collectivism and individualism deeply pervade cultures. A relationship between individualism and happiness has been observed in many studies, with collectivist cultures having lower indices of happiness. It is often argued that this effect arises because people in individualist countries have greater independence and more freedom to pursue personal goals.

The downside of collectivism is that the individual often quells his or her own interests, and does not realize his or her full personal potential. The Philippines, with a score of 32, is considered a collectivistic society.

Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations. In the workplace, supportive managers may reinforce collectivism by offering incentives or extending other positive gestures. Collectivist are valued and judged based on their loyalty and sacrifice to the community, group, or organization.

Members are expected to mold their efforts, filling gaps as situations arise, ignoring individual success, and volunteering to contribute all resources towards the overall achievement of the group.

Collectivism, any of several types of social organization in which the individual is seen as being subordinate to a social collectivity such as a state, a nation, a race, or a social class.