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Key Ideas #4 Culture (Individualistic vs. Collectivistic Values (Values…

- - - - Individualism: the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups and seen as interdependent or independent.
        Power distance: the extent to which people accept an unequal distribution of power.
        Masculinity-Femininity: the degree of being feminine-- valuing fluid gender roles, quality of life, service, relationships, and interdependence- and the degree of being masculine-- emphasizing distinctive gender roles, ambition, materialism, and independence.
        Uncertainty avoidance: The extent to which uncertainty, ambiguity, and deviant ideas and behaviors are avoided.
        Long-term versus short-term orientation: Reflects a cultural-group orientation toward virtue or truth. The long-term orientation emphasizing virtue, whereas the short-term orientation emphasizes truth.
- - - - By contrast, the primary collectivistic view is that people are not separate units, but rather are part and parcel of a larger group (extended family, village, or tribe)
        
        In other words, people are interdependent. A person’s identity in a collectivistic society tends to be based on one’s roles and experiences within the group context. For example, people in traditional Pacific Island cultures have been described as developing “shared identities” as the result of “sharing food, water, land, spirits, knowledge, work, and social activities”
        
        Americans, for example, develop a kind of “shared identity” when they cheer together for the same sports team. When they identify a part of themselves with the team, they tend to feel a bond with each other and experience similar emotions of joy, pride, sadness, etc. at the same time, depending how the game unfolds and whether the team wins or loses.
        
        Where a person’s preference falls on the collectivistic-individualistic continuum depends on his or her culture, socioeconomic status, and historical era.
        The relatively extreme individualism of American mainstream culture today is made possible by a high and dependable standard of living that allows self-sufficiency (independence) to be the expected norm.
- - - - In individualistic cultures, it is more likely that children are encouraged to form and express opinions and to seek knowledge at a pace they self-determine. An important individualistic value is that knowledge should be freely available to anyone who wants it.
      - It may be considered disrespectful for children to express their options or ask questions.
        Instead they may be expected to absorb and then reflect back the knowledge provided to them by their elders, who determine when youngsters are ready to learn.
- - - - People in individualistic cultures may be allowed or even encouraged to make choices based on what is best individually, while people in collectivistic cultures are more likely to be expected to give priority to what is best for the group.
        
        Collectivistic cultures are more likely than individualistic ones to allow for external explanations for the cause of a good or bad event (fate, spiritual intervention, or the demands of social superiors)
- - - - Low context cultures are individualistic. There is an emphasis on independence and individuality, which means individuals are free to interpret messages in a variety of ways. High context cultures are typically less direct in their communication and Low context cultures are much more direct which makes sense if there is more room for interpretation low context cultures need to be more to the point.