Individualism

and
Collectivism
 Individualism

Individualism- A cultural orientation in which independence,

autonomy, and self-reliance take priority over group alliances.
values personal independence. Within individualist cultures,
people are more likely to “see themselves as separate from
others, define themselves based on their personal traits, and
see their characteristics as relatively stable and unchanging.”
An individualist’s sense of self is defined more by who they are on the
“inside,” minimizing the influence of factors, contexts, and people
“outside” the individual.
Individualists tend to communicate in direct styles—they say what
they mean, prioritizing that information is conveyed explicitly and
unambiguously. European and “Western” cultures are typically more
individualist.
American parents try to raise their children to be
independent, self-reliant, and assertive (a "cut above the
rest”),
whereas Japanese children are raised to fit into their
groups and community.
 Individualism Main Characteristics

Personal Goals: Dollard and colleagues argued that personal

goals entail arousal of psychic energy for their achievement, and
that goal achievement is cathartic.
Autonomy- Freedom
Self Expression- Express their day to habits
 Collectivism
Collectivism- A cultural orientation in which interdependence,
cooperation, and social harmony take priority over personal goals. values
personal interdependence.
Social harmony- defined as a process of valuing, expressing, and
promoting love, trust, admiration, peace, harmony, respect, generosity
and equity upon other people.
In collectivist cultures, people are more likely to “see themselves as
connected to others, define themselves in terms of relationships with
others, and see their characteristics as more likely to change across
different contexts.”
A collectivist’s sense of self is defined more by who they
are with other people, or by their membership in a group.
Maintaining social harmony, getting along with others, and
meeting social expectations are more important in collectivist
cultures.
They tend to communicate in indirect styles—collectivists
imply what they really mean, but might say otherwise to
avoid conflict or embarrassment.
Asian and African cultures tend to be more collectivist,
for example: Individualist self-expressions and styles may even
seem selfish, disruptive, or alienating to a more collectivist
person or group.
In general, collectivists tend to fit molds, while individualists break
them.
Just because someone’s cultural background is individualist, you
shouldn’t assume that they are.
Everyone falls somewhere on the individualist-collectivist spectrum.
Even within a very collectivist culture, you will find people who are
more individualist.
Furthermore, psychology research has shown that people
shift along this spectrum, leaning more collectivist or
individualist depending on the situation.

This adaptability is more common in multicultural

communities and contexts. It’s partly why we seek
intercultural exchange: to adopt multiple cultural frames
and learn to apply them in relevant communities and
circumstances.
 Collectivism main Characteristics

Interest of the group- same attitudes, interests, hobbies,

experiences
Harmony- Valuing, expressing, and promoting love, trust,
admiration, peace, harmony, respect with others
Cooperation- working together to accomplish shared goals
Social cohesion- interrelationship
 How does culture affect the way we see ourselves?

The researchers Hazel Markus and Shinobu Kitayama have studied how an individual’s
cultural background affects how they view themselves.
People from individualistic cultures are more likely to have an independent view of
themselves (they see themselves as separate from others, define themselves based on
their personal traits, and see their characteristics as relatively stable and unchanging).
On the other hand, people from collectivistic cultures are more likely
to have an interdependent view of themselves (they see themselves
as connected to others, define themselves in terms of relationships
with others, and see their characteristics as more likely to change
across different contexts).
While individualism/collectivism can be measured in any culture, much of
the research so far has been conducted on East Asian and Western cultures.
Researchers have found that Western cultures tend to be more
individualistic while East Asian cultures tend to be more collectivistic.
However, it’s important to remember that many factors can influence
individualism/collectivism, so individuals within a culture can also differ in
their levels of independence/interdependence. Individualism and
collectivism can even be affected by the situational context.
 Collectivistic Culture Individualistic Culture

1 The society shows a positive attitude towards whatever is traditional. The society shows positive attitudes towards whatever
is new

2 Students are expected to learn how to do? There is no age limit to learn “permanent education”.

3 The young have to learn while the old do not accept the role of student Students should learn how to learn

4 Individual students intervene in class only when called upon personally by the Individual students speak up in class in response to the
teacher. teacher’s
invitation

5 Education is a way of gaining prestige in one’s environment. Education is a way to improving one’s economic worth
and self-respect based on ability and confidence

6 Acquiring a diploma is more important than acquiring knowledge Acquiring competences is more important than
acquiring a diploma.

Table 01: Comparing collectivistic and individualistic cultures adopted from Nadia (2015)
For example, one study found that individuals from two cultural
backgrounds became more individualistic when shown images
relating to an individualistic culture and more collectivistic when
shown images relating to a collectivistic culture.
In other words, as humans, we switch between cultural frames
depending on the context.
 How does culture impact relationships?

In individualistic cultures, relationships are often seen as voluntary, and it’s not uncommon to
choose to end relationships that are not beneficial. On the other hand, relationships in
collectivistic cultures are often seen as more stable and permanent.
 Additionally, researchers have hypothesized that, in collectivistic cultures, there is a greater
obligation to not be a burden on close others. Example: parent-child relationships can differ
from culture to culture. It’s important to recognize that what’s “normal” in a relationship
isn’t the same everywhere: there is no one relationship that works best in all cultures.
 How does culture affect social support?

When we’re under stress, our cultural background may impact the type
of social support we seek out and benefit from most.
Research has found that East Asians and Asian Americans are less likely
than European Americans to talk about an event that they are stressed by
(although this difference was smaller for Asian Americans who were born in
the United States).
Psychologists have suggested that East Asians are less likely to talk
about a stressful event because doing so can present a challenge to
relationships in collectivistic cultures.
Instead, individuals from East Asian cultures are more likely to seek
out implicit social support, which involves spending time with close
others without actually talking about a stressor.
 What can cultural psychology tell us about psychology research?

Most social psychologists have conducted their studies on participants from Western
countries. However, Western research participants aren’t representative of the world as a
whole: many psychology findings don’t look the same when we do include participants
from other cultures.
So when reading about psychology research, it’s important to consider the cultural
background of the research participants—and if the research used primarily Western
participants, to think about how collectivistic research participants might have
responded differently.
 How does this affect you? Cultural psychology

Has several take-home lessons. For example, therapists should be aware that cultural
background can impact how comfortable someone feels opening up to others about
personal problems.
It can also help us to prevent misunderstandings that can arise from the fact that
people from different cultures may have different assumptions about relationships.
Additionally, when deciding how best to help a friend who is under stress, considering
culture may be important for understanding where they are coming from and how best
to support them.
It’s important to remember that cultural psychology doesn’t allow us to
know a given person’s level of individualism/collectivism (after all, there
can be collectivistic Westerners and individualistic East Asians).
However, cultural psychology suggests that thinking about individualism
and collectivism can help us to better understand ourselves and our
relationships.
Moreover, cultural psychology has a larger lesson: our way of thinking about
ourselves and the world around us is only one of many.
 Additional Reading:

Adam Cohen: Many Forms of Culture

Hazel Markus & Shinobu Kitayama: Culture & the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation

Steven Heine: Cultural Psychology (in the Handbook of Social Psychology)

Ying-yi Hong, Michael Morris, Chi-yue Chiu, & Verónica Benet-Martínez: Multicultural Minds: A Dynamic Constructivist Approach to
Culture and Cognition

Heejung Kim, David Sherman, & Shelley Taylor: Culture and Social Support

Joseph Henrich, Steven Heine, & Ara Norenzayan: Most People are Not WEIRD