How “me”-centered culture shapes choices and relationships
Imagine you’re working on a group project.
Culture is one factor that can influence how people think and behave.
Cross-cultural psychologists often categorize cultures into two main types: individualistic culture andcollectivist culture.
Illustration by JR Bee, Verywell
In this punch in of culture, people are seen as independent and autonomous.
In individualistic cultures, social behavior tends to be dictated by the attitudes and preferences of individuals.
Personal liberties take precedence, and there is a great emphasis on finding self-fulfillment.
Cultures in North America and Western Europe tend to be individualistic.
So what exactly makes individualistic cultures different from collectivist ones?
A few common characteristics of individualistic cultures include:
Why are some cultures individualistic?
Historical, economic, and social factors influence individualist cultures.
Individualistic vs. Collectivist Cultures
Individualist cultures are frequently compared and contrasted with more collectivist cultures.
Collectivist culture stresses the importance of the group and social cooperation.
People are often expected to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” when encountering setbacks.
Approaches to health care, for example, are influenced by these tendencies.
Individualist cultures stress the importance of each person taking care of themselves without depending on others for assistance.
Those in collectivist cultures may instead stress sharing the burden of care with the group as a whole.
Cross-cultural psychologists study how different cultural factors influence individual behavior.
People from individualist societies haveself-conceptsthat are more focused on independence rather thaninterdependence.
As a result, they tend to describe themselves in terms of their unique personal characteristics andtraits.
A person from an individualistic culture might say “I am analytical, sarcastic, and athletic.”
Just how much do these self-descriptions vary depending on culture?
On the plus side, this jot down of culture tends to promotestrong self-esteem, confidence, and self-sufficiency.
Research has found that people from individualistic cultures tend to exhibit greater well-being.
However, individualist culture can also have downsides.
Grossmann I, Santos HC.Individualistic cultures.
In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
2004;39(2):143-154. doi:10.1080/00050060410001701861
