28 Hr Deadline! 2 Cultural Psychology Assessments to be done!
shlynref
CAR1.docxRunning head: the self 1
the self 4
The Concept of the Self
The Concept of the Self
Concept
Humans interact with one another on a daily basis, the ways they communicate however, varies widely. An effective way we have used to differentiate the types of communicators is to separate them into two distinct groups, the individualistic and collectivistic selves. Individualistic cultures emphasize the goals of the individual over group goals, while collectivistic cultures stress group goals over individual goals (Triandis, 1988). From what we can see in our society right now, Western cultures tend to raise individualists while Asian cultures raises collectivists. Many problems of modernity can be linked to too much individualism, while on the other hand, a lack of human rights can be attributed to too much collectivism (Triandis, 2018). This would explain why Asian cities are usually more conservative and have less freedom while Western cities are way more open and ‘modern’. It can be said that most of us are both individualistic and collectivistic but what matters is which identity we act out with more. With the evolution of technologies and the popularity of social media, our interactive ways can be easily pinpointed. The influences of other differing cultures from the easily accessible internet can also change our mindsets on various issues and stir us to become more individualistic or collectivistic.
Action
For this reflection, I examined the interaction in the comment sections of Xiaxue’s recent YouTube video, ‘Xia Xue transforms into Rosmah Mansor for Halloween!’. Wendy Cheng, better known as Xiaxue, is a Singaporean blogger turned social media influencer and Youtuber. She is known for her provocative writing style and her controversial comments and posts about certain topics or people. She is probably one of the most influential online personality in Singapore, with a staggering 612,000 followers on Instagram and an incredibly successful blog and Youtube channel. This particular video which she uploaded to her Youtube channel was supposedly just a Halloween transformation tutorial. However, it sparked immense anger among many viewers, mostly Malaysians. Death threats to not only Xiaxue, but her son, was issued out. The video was interpreted to be mocking Rosmah, the wife of Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib, who was arrested for mass corruption. The disdain and lack of respect for Rosmah was obvious in the video with Xiaxue making snide remarks about her looks and actions. The comment section was undoubtedly separated into two sides, the supporters and the haters.
Reflection
Individualistic and collectivistic cultures are said to be characterized by important differences in members’ social perceptions and social behavior (Han and Shavitt, 1994). Firstly, Xiaxue as a person is seen to be a largely individualistic character, she usually does whatever she wants or is pleasing to her, uncaring to outsiders’ comments on her actions. Her supporters in the comments section of the video can be argued to be both individualistic and collectivistic, with them having the same mindset as Xiaxue and not caring if others found it insensitive or disrespectful. However, I would say that they are largely collectivistic with their aim more of to protect Xiaxue and justify her video to the haters. The haters in the comment section, on the other hand, are collectivistic as well. With Najib and Rosmah being crooked politicians seemingly undeserving of respect, they chose to support them be it just because most of them are Malaysians and felt the patriotic need to defend their home country or for the sole reason that they feel that no matter what wrongdoings Rosmah and Najib have done, mocking and calling them out publicly was just unnecessary and rude.
References
Han, S. P., & Shavitt, S. (1994). Persuasion and culture: Advertising appeals in individualistic and collectivistic societies. Journal of experimental social psychology, 30, 326-326.
Triandis, H. C. (1988). Collectivism vs. individualism: A reconceptualization of a basic
concept in Cross-cultural psychology. In G. Verma &C. Bagley (Eds.), Cross-cultural studies
of personality, attitudes and cognition (pp. 60-95). London: Maanillan.
Triandis, H. C. (2018). Individualism and collectivism. Routledge.
