Journal Entry #2 - Cultural Patterns

Intercultural Communication and Global Understanding

4. Vertical/Horizontal Individualism and Collectivism

Subsections: Structural and social dimensions of individualism and collectivism Interpreting the cells Defining communicative behaviors Communicative style Classic cases

Structural and social dimensions of individualism and collectivism

The following chart attempts to systematize our thinking about individualism and collectivism:

Vertical Horizontal Collectivism Individualism Collectivism Individualism

Kind of Self

• Inter- dependent

• Independent • Inter-dependent • Independent

• Different from

others • Different from

others • Same as others • Same as

others

• Dutiful • Achievement- oriented

• Cooperative • Unique

Social Rel’n

• Communal sharing

• Authority ranking

• Market pricing • Authority

ranking

• Communal sharing

• Equality matching

• Market pricing • Equality matching

Comm’n Style

• Indirect • Formal • Differentiated • Duty &

Obligation

• Direct • Informal • Individuated • Content &

Clarity

• Indirect • Formal • Implied • Context &

Concern

• Direct • Informal • Individuated &

Communal • Content & Clarity

Identity • Tightened • Bounded

• Loosened • Flexible

• Tightened • Bounded

• Loosened • Flexible

First, we distinguish between people who are comfortable thinking about social relations as vertical, and those who prefer horizontal relationships. Those preferring verticality tend to accept inequality and the notion that rank has its privileges. Those preferring the horizontal desire to be similar to others on most attributes, especially status and desire to have social cohesion with others.

In this array, there are four kinds of self, using two scales, independent or interdependent and same or different. Horizontal individualism refers to an independent/same self. This dimension highlights an independent nature and the expectation that people should be similar on most attributes He does not want to stand out. Cultures in this dimension prefer to work alone, privacy is important, and equality is emphasized. This is the U.S. on a social level. France, Germany, Australia are least likely to be prejudiced and ethnocentric.

Interpreting the cells

Horizontal collectivism refers to an interdependent/same self. This dimension highlights an interdependent nature and the expectation that people should be similar on most attributes. Cultures with this dimension do not want to stand out and value social cohesion with the ingroup. Belonging is important and there is little individuation.

Vertical individualism refers to an independent/different self. This dimension highlights an independent nature but wants to distinguish one’s self and is imbued within a hierarchy. Cultures with this dimension do not want to be average. Here groups are competitive, self-motivated, and want to be the best or succeed. These cultures are also differentiated on a political and economic scale (e.g., U.S. on an economic scale with taxation). Vertical individualistic cultures are more likely to put down other groups in an effort to be distinguished from others and to win the competition in the market place.

Vertical collectivism refers to an interdependent/different self. This dimension highlights an interdependent nature but accepts inequality and rank. Cultures here are differentiated in social classes and social class remains fixed to the one in which you were born. The identities are bounded here (e.g., Japan; India; parts of Latin America). These cultures are deemed more ethnocentric.

In both I and C, vertical dimension accepts inequality and rank has its privileges (different self).

The horizontal focuses on people should be similar on most attributes, especially status (same self which does not want to stand out)

In C, horizontal includes a sense of social cohesion and of oneness with members of the ingroup.

Vertical includes a sense of serving the ingroup and sacrificing for the benefit of the ingroup and doing one’s duty.

Defining communicative behaviors

The act of Communal Sharing goes on in families. Things are shared, people feel a high degree of belonging and also fear loneliness. Gifts are given and relationships are eternal. Disadvantages of this outlook are ingroup favoritism, hostility towards outgroups, racism, and supernationalism

Authority Ranking measures a tendency to recognize hierarchy. In this framework, resources are divided according to rank/attention (e.g, age, gender). Inequalities are naturalized, so that high status people give many gifts and have more obligations than lower classes. They are rewarded with respect, deference, loyalty and obedience. Punishment and discipline may ensue if these individuals do not fulfill their duties.

Equality Matching refers to social equality. These individuals prefer total equality, in which resources are distributed equally. Decisions are made by voting; justice has high value.

Persons given to Market Pricing (Proportionality) prefer to receive resources equal to their contributions—the more they give, the more they get. Achievement is important, as is quantification of everything. One is defined by one’s occupation, and wars are fought for economic benefit. Market value is more important than social value, which can lead to exploitation of workers.

Communicative style

Communication Style categories. This assesses persons according to their communication style with an ingroup/public (but can be different in private). They may not treat others as they would family members. Collectivists may be communicating with ingroup that is larger. They may communicate slightly differently with relatives, co-workers, neighbors, same-sex, and close friends. Individualists have a smaller ingroup but behavior in slightly different wasy in out- and ingroups. Collectivists have fewer skills to interact with strangers than individualists; silence is embarassing for individualists and appropriate cultural behavior for collectivists.

Japanese Children Courtesy of Adamgaston http://flickr.com/photos/ada mgaston/262205463/

Identity Category. This assesses persons in specific situations. It gets at the notion of what kind of identity occurs in a culture. Is it bounded, tight, and not permeable? Is it open and flexible? Are there strict behavioral norms and expectations? Here rules are so internalized that they create hardened

identities. In tightened cultures, there are a limited number of appropriate behaviors, and these are widely shared and have a clear sense of what to do. For example, comparing Japan the United States, when asked if rules existed in the classroom and on the street, 40% of U.S. children and 92% of Japanese children agreed.

Acculturation and adaptation occur along these lines as well: collective acculturation if groups are stigmatized, and individual acculturation if accepted.

Classic cases

Most collective cultures are vertical, while most individualistic cultures are horizontal. Within cultures this is not rigid, however, for there is considerable room for variation. These are tendencies, not absolute realities.

In Sweden, where horizontal individualist culture, prevails, people are self- reliant. The elderly do not live with their children. Living by oneself is highly valued—87% said want to live on own. Swedes score high on individualism but do not like people who stick out. Do not like to be unique or conspicuous, which contrasts with other kinds of individualists, such as North Americans, English, French, or Germans. High social status is only desired by about 2% of population, as compared with 7% of Americans and 25% of Germans.

The United States displays a vertical individualism pattern, in many situations and including business transactions.

Australians display a more horizontal individualist form of behavior.

In Israeli kibbutz persons do not want to stand out, rather they want to value community needs.

Prior to World War II, Japan displayed vertical collectivism style, but afterward turned toward horizontal collectivism, especially in its dealings with the U.S. citizens. Older Japanese tend to remain vertical, while younger people are moving in horizontal direction and toward individualism.

China has vertical collectivist tendencies, and authorities do advocate horizontal themes. There are individualist traits, as in Confucian traditions, Taoism, and Buddhism. But even these have yielded to egalitarianism and individual and team responsibility/competition. Before 1980, an iron rice bowl guaranteed a minimum income. Now Chinese workers must hold jobs and perform well. Some 80% of the population is rural and relatively poor, so I-factors remain low.

Other collectivist cultures include the Philippines, Latin America, and Italy. Southern Italians are interesting in that they are collectivistic in that only the immediate family is the important ingroup. But when dealing with outsiders, they act individualistic. Thus, vertical collectivism prevails when dealing with ingroups, and vertical individualism prevails when dealing with outsiders.

Individualistic cultures include Ancient Greece (Illiad and Odyssey), Germany, and France. The British have perhaps the most individualist culture, where influence, affluence, and ability to move around are highly valued. Scandinavia has both moderately individualist and many horizontal collectivist elements.

Endnotes

Triandis, H.C. (1995). Individualism and collectivism: New directions in social psychology. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.