Collectivistic cultures emphasize the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and wishes of each individual. In this cultures under mentioned play a central role in each person's identity. relationships with other members of the group and the interconnectedness between people Cultures in Asia, Central America, South America and Africa tend to be more collectivistic. A few common traits of collectivistic cultures include: Social rules focus on promoting selflessness and putting the community needs ahead of individual needs Working as a group and supporting others is essential People are encouraged to do what's best for society Families and communities have a central role In collectivistic cultures, people are considered "good" if they are generous, helpful, dependable, and attentive to the needs of others.

1. By
Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd)
Based on inputs at the net
Collectivistic Cultures

2. Introduction
 Collectivistic cultures emphasize the needs and goals of the group as a
whole over the needs and wishes of each individual.
 In this cultures under mentioned play a central role in each person's identity.
 relationships with other members of the group and
 the interconnectedness between people
 Cultures in Asia, Central America, South America and Africa tend to be
more collectivistic.
 A few common traits of collectivistic cultures include:
 Social rules focus on
 promoting selflessness and
 putting the community needs ahead of individual needs
 Working as a group and supporting others is essential
 People are encouraged to do what's best for society
 Families and communities have a central role
 In collectivistic cultures, people are considered "good" if they are
 generous,
 helpful,
 dependable, and
 attentive to the needs of others.
 This contrasts with individualistic cultures that often place a greater
emphasis on characteristics such as assertiveness and independence

3. Introduction..
 A few countries that are considered collectivistic include
 Japan,
 China,
 Korea,
 Taiwan,
 Argentina,
 Brazil, and
 India.

4. How Do Collectivist Cultures Differ From Individualist
Cultures?
 Collectivist cultures are usually contrasted with individualistic cultures.
 Where collectivism stresses the important of the community,
 Unity and selflessness are valued traits in collectivist cultures
 workers who live in a collectivist culture might strive to sacrifice their
own happiness for the greater good of the group
 individualism is focused on the rights and concerns of each person.
 independence and personal identity are highly stressed in individualistic
cultures. ,
 may feel that their own well-being and goals carry a greater weight.
 These cultural differences are pervasive and can influence many aspects of
 How society functions.
 How people
 shop,
 dress,
 learn and

5. How Do Collectivist Cultures Influence Behavior?
 Cross-cultural psychologists study how these cultural difference impact
various aspects of behavior.
 Studies suggest that culture influences how people
 behave as well as
 self-concept.
 Researchers Markus and Kitayama found that people who come from
collectivist cultures tend to stress interdependence over independence.
 Those in individualistic cultures might describe themselves in terms of
personal traits and characteristics ("I am smart, funny, athletic, and
kind.").
 Those from collectivist cultures would more likely describe themselves in
terms of their social relationships and roles ("I am a good son, brother
and friend.“)

6. How Do Collectivist Cultures Influence Behavior?
 In one study by researchers Ma and Schoenemann,
 48 percent of American participants described themselves in terms of
individualistic psychological characteristics.
 Only 2 percent of Kenyans described themselves as individualistic culture
 Instead, 60 percent of the Kenyan participants described themselves in
terms of their group roles and memberships.
 Cultural differences also influence the motivation to either
 stand out of the group or
 fit in with the rest of the group.
 In experiments by Kim and Markus, participants from American and East
Asian cultures were asked to select a pen.
 Most of the pens were the same color, with a few options in different
colors.
 Most American participants chose the rarer colored pens.
 East Asian participants, on the other hand, were much more likely to
choose the most common colored pen.

7. 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, 98(2), 224-253.