Understanding Collectivist Cultures

Collectivist cultures prioritize the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and desires of each individual. In such societies, relationships with other members of the group and the interconnectedness among its people play a central role in each person’s identity.

Collectivism contrasts with individualism, in which personal needs take precedence.

Traits of Collectivist Cultures

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, which often place a greater emphasis on assertiveness and independence.

Collectivist cultures generally share these characteristics:

• Individuals define themselves in relation to others (for example, “I am a member of…”).
• Communication is often indirect to avoid potential conflict or embarrassment.
• Group loyalty is encouraged.
• Decisions are based on what is best for the group.
• Compromise is favored when a decision must be made to achieve greater levels of peace.
• Working as part of a group and supporting others are essential.
• Common goals are more important than individual pursuits.
• The rights of families and communities come before those of the individual.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Collectivism stresses the importance of the community and places great value on unity, selflessness, and altruism. Individualism focuses on individual rights and concerns, independence, and personal identity.

These pervasive cultural differences can influence many aspects of society, from the way people shop, dress, and learn to how they conduct business.

For example, workers in a collectivist culture tend to sacrifice their own happiness for the greater good of the group. Those from individualistic cultures, on the other hand, may feel that their own well-being and goals carry greater weight.

The Impact of Collectivism

Collective cultures affect the people within them a few different ways.

Self-Perception

Culture influences self-concept. Although members of individualistic cultures might describe themselves in terms of personality traits and characteristics (e.g., “I am smart, funny, athletic, and kind”), those from collectivist cultures are more likely to describe themselves in terms of their social relationships and roles (e.g., “I am a good parent, sibling, and friend”).

Strong Relationships

Collectivist cultures are associated with low relational mobility, a term that describes the opportunities that individuals in a society have to form relationships with people of their choosing.

Low relational mobility means that relationships are stable, strong, and long-lasting. These relationships are usually formed due to factors such as family and geographical area, rather than personal choice.

In a collectivist culture, building relationships with new people can be difficult, partly because meeting them is, too. Strangers are more likely to remain strangers in a collectivistic culture than in an individualistic culture.

Paradoxically, this means that people in individualistic cultures devote more effort and energy toward actively maintaining close relationships, often through increased self-disclosure and greater intimacy.

Unlike collectivist cultures where stable relationships are expected, relationships in individualistic cultures tend to be more fraught and fragile. People must make a greater effort to maintain these relationships.

Conformity

Cultural differences also influence the motivation to either stand out or fit in with the rest of the group. For instance, one study found that, in a collectivist culture, people submitting an online review are less likely to go against the average rating or express emotions in their review.

Conformity also appears within certain industries. According to research published in the Journal of Economic Growth, descendants of pre-industrial agricultural groups tend to favor collectivist cultures, working in more routine occupations as opposed to driving innovation.

Potential Pitfalls of Collectivism

There are some potential drawbacks of collective cultures.

Social Anxiety

Research shows that collectivistic cultures may foster socially reticent and withdrawn behaviors. In one study, students from Asian cultures (collectivist) displayed higher levels of social anxiety than students from European cultures (individualist).

However, it may not be collectivist values alone that contributed to this. After analyzing the data, the researchers suggested that some of the increase in anxiety could be attributed to Asian American students having greater difficulty in being able to recognize and read emotion.

Less Social Support

People in collectivist cultures tend to be more cautious about sharing their personal problems with their friends. Research shows that they are also cautious when sharing their knowledge within the workplace (even when working in teams), often only doing so if incentivized or if they are highly altruistic.

Instead, people often seek out what is known as implicit social support. This involves spending time with supportive people without actually opening up about or addressing the source of the stress.