Individualistic cultures are those that stress the needs of the individual over the needs of the group as a whole. In this type of culture, people are seen as independent and autonomous. Social behavior tends to be dictated by the attitudes and preferences of individuals. Cultures in North America and Western Europe tend to be individualistic. A few common characteristics of individualistic cultures include: Individual rights take center stage Independence is highly valued Being dependent upon others is often considered shameful or embarrassing People tend to be self-reliant In individualistic cultures, people are considered "good" if they are strong, self-reliant, assertive, and independent.

1. By
Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd)
Individualistic Cultures

2. Individualistic Cultures
 Individualistic cultures are those that stress the needs of the individual
over the needs of the group as a whole.
 In this type of culture, people are seen as independent and
autonomous.
 Social behavior tends to be dictated by the attitudes and preferences
of individuals.
 Cultures in North America and Western Europe tend to be individualistic.
 A few common characteristics of individualistic cultures include:
 Individual rights take center stage
 Independence is highly valued
 Being dependent upon others is often considered shameful or
embarrassing
 People tend to be self-reliant
 In individualistic cultures, people are considered "good" if they are
 strong,
 self-reliant,
 assertive, and
 independent.

3. Collective culture
 This contrasts with collectivistic cultures under
mentioned characteristics are of greater
importance
self-sacrificing,
dependable,
generous, and
helpful to others are of greater importance.
 A few countries that are considered individualistic
cultures include
 the United States,
 Germany,
 Ireland,
 South Africa, and
 Australia

4. How Do Individualistic Cultures Differ From Collectivistic
Cultures?
 Collectivism
 stresses the important of the group and social cooperation,
 might be more likely to turn to family and friends for support during
difficult times,
 people might sacrifice their own comfort for the greater good of
everyone else
 individualism
 prizes uniqueness, independence, and self-sufficiency.
 are more likely to go it alone in difficult time.
 workers in an individualist culture are more likely to value their own
well-being over the good of the group
 This tendency to focus on personal identity and autonomy is a pervasive
part of a culture that can have a profound influence on how a society
functions.
 Such differences can influence nearly every aspect of behavior
ranging from the career a person choose, the products they buy,

5. How Do Individualistic Cultures Influence Behavior?
 The effect that culture has on individual behavior is a major topic of interest in
the field of cross-cultural psychology.
 Cross-cultural psychologists study how difference cultural factors influence
individual behavior.
 They often focus on things that are universal among different cultures of the
world, as well as differences among societies.
 One interesting phenomenon that cross-cultural psychologists have observed
is
 People from individualist society have self-concepts that are more focused on
independence rather than interdependence.
 As a result, they tend to describe themselves in terms of their unique personal
characteristics and traits.
 A person from this type of culture might say that "I am analytical, sarcastic,
and athletic." This can be contrasted with self-descriptions from people living
in collectivist societies, who would be more likely to say something like, "I am
a good husband and loyal friend."
 Just how much do these self-descriptions vary depending upon culture?
 Research conducted by Ma and Schoenemann found that while 60 percent of
Kenyans (a collectivist culture) described themselves in terms of their roles
within groups while 48 percent of Americans (an individualist culture) used
personal characteristics to describe themselves.

6. How Do Individualistic Cultures Influence Behavior?
References
Kim, H.S., & Markus, H.R. (1999). Deviance or
uniqueness, harmony or conformity? A cultural
analysis. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 77, 785-800.
Ma, V., & Schoeneman, T.J. (1997).
Individualism versus collectivism: A comparison
of Kenyan and American self-concepts.Basic
and Applied Social Psychology, 19, 261-273.
Markus, H.R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture
and the self: Implications for Cognition,
Emotion, and Motivation. Psychological Review,