Collectivism contrasts with individualism, in which personal needs take precedence.
This contrasts withindividualistic cultures, which often place a greater emphasis on assertiveness and independence.
Collectivism stresses the importance of the community and places great value on unity, selflessness, andaltruism.
Verywell / Joshua Seong
Individualism focuses on individual rights and concerns, independence, and personal identity.
Those from individualistic cultures, on the other hand, may feel that their ownwell-beingandgoalscarry greater weight.
The Impact of Collectivism
Collective cultures affect the people within them a few different ways.
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.
Strangers are more likely to remain strangers in a collectivistic culture than in an individualistic culture.
People must make a greater effort to maintain these relationships.
Maintaining harmony within interpersonal relationships is of utmost importance in a collectivistic culture.
This is likely because these relationships are extremely difficult to change.
Failing to keep the peace can mean long-term unhappiness for everyone involved.
Conformityalso appears within certain industries.
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Research shows that collectivistic cultures may foster socially reticent and withdrawn behaviors.
However, it may not be collectivist values alone that contributed to this.
Instead, people often seek out what is known as implicitsocial support.
This involves spending time with supportive people without actually opening up about or addressing the source of the stress.
Collective cultures value groups or communities over individuals.
One way to measure individualism and collectivism is via the Culture Orientation Scale.
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