Individualism and Collectivism*

Lecture 1ANTH 104

*Sometimes called “Communitarianism”

Defining Culture…from Donal Carbaugh

• A system of expressive practices fraught with feelings, a system of symbols, premises, rules, forms, and the domains and dimensions of mutual meanings associated with these.

Contrasting ValuesOsterman, Coon & Kemmelmeier (2002)

Individualism• Independent• Goals• Compete• Unique• Private self-knowledge• Direct communication

Collectivism• Related• Belong• Duty• Harmony• Advice• Context• Hierarchy• Group

Individualistic Patterns

Children raised in individualistic cultures are rewarded for initiative, personal achievement, and individual leadership.

Collectivist Patterns

Children are taught that they are a part of a circle of relations.

This identity as a member of a group comes first, summed up in the South African idea of ubuntu: “I am because we are.”

Individualistic Countries

Most Individualistic• U.S.• Australia• Great Britain• Canada• Netherlands

Least Individualistic(Most collective)

• Guatemala• Ecuador• Panama• Venezuela• Indonesia• South Korea• Taiwan

Who am I? Ask yourself which is most in the foreground in your life…

• The welfare, development, security, prosperity, and well-being of yourself and others as individuals?

• The shared heritage, ecological resources, traditional stories, and group accomplishments of your people?

Wait a minute!

• Can aspects of both cultural dynamics be important to people?

• Sure! And that’s one of the many things you’re going to discuss with your group-mates next class session!

Money and Happiness

• Wealthier countries are more individualistic, probably because there is less need to be reliant on other people.

• In individualistic countries, life satisfaction depends upon personal feelings and experiences. (In collective cultures, the broader social context and cultural norms influence life satisfaction.)

Key Dimensions on Which Cultures Differ

Smith and Schwartz 1997

• Autonomy versus Embeddedness

• How to motivate responsible behavior

Cultural GridSmith and Schwartz

Combinatorial Culture TypesBy Country, not Individual People

Smith and Schwartz (1997)

Hierarchy Equality

Particularism Universalism

Central and Eastern Europe— Northern and Western Europe, Individualism Russia, Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. Romania

Vertical Collectivism Horizontal Collectivism

Pacific Asian countries-- Southern European countries—Collectivism Indonesia, South Korea, Japan Greece, Turkey, Spain

Some Final Thoughts

• There is no one-size-fits-all with Individualism and Collectivism.– Korean collectivism is different from Japanese

collectivism.– French individualism is different from American

individualism.• Not all experts agree on the definitions I’ve

presented here; all concepts need refinement.• Individuals within a culture are not “imprisoned”

by the general characteristics of their cultures.