Unit Individualistic and Collectivistic Cultures
I. Comment on the proverbs.
«The squeaky wheel gets the grease». (American proverb)
«The nail that stands out gets pounded down». (Japanease proverb)
II. Starting up
Answer these questions individually. Then compare your answers with a partner.
1. Do you feel that you belong to an individualistic or collectivistic culture? Why? What are the signs?
2. What do you think determines whether a culture is individualistic or collectivistic? Try to come up with three main points.
3. Do you think Eastern culture is more collectivistic than Western culture? Give reasons for your answer.
4. Are people in collectivistic societies happier than those who live in individualistic societies? Why? Why not?
5. Do societies become individualistic through civilization and modernization? Or are societies more civilized and modernized because they are individualistic? Or is it just a coincidence that most of the wealthiest countries today have individualistic cultures rather than collectivistic?
III. Vocabulary Moral Codes
1. Match the words to their meanings.
contempt
the state of existing or acting separately from others
hierarchy
joint ownership or participation
divinity
lack of guilt or evil thoughts
moral code
a series of agreements to which a person has subscribed to guarantee the survival of a group
emotion
the quality or state of being holy or sacred
autonomy
a system in which people or things are placed in a series of levels with different importance or status
purity
the formal study of religion, religious practices, and religious belief
community
a lack of respect for or fear of something that is usually respected or feared
violation
the act of doing something that is not allowed by a law or rule
sanctity
a strong feeling (such as love, anger, joy, hate, or fear)
Complete the text with with the correct form of the words from Exercise 1
There are three …..1: community, autonomy, and …..2. …..3 codes are especially important to people in collectivist cultures, whereas …..4 codes are important in individualist cultures. They evoke different …..5. Violation of communal codes, including …..6, evokes …..7; …..8 of the autonomy code (e.g., individual rights) evokes anger. Violation of the divinity code (…..9, …..10) evokes disgust. Data from Japan and the United States support the theory.
IV. Key Characteristics of Collectivistic and Individualistic cultures
Listening
Reading
Speaking
1. Listen to the speaker talking about collectivistic and individualistic cultures and create a plan of their analysis. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b8YcXWkqvo ).
Use the table given below to make a detailed comparative analysis of collectivistic and individualistic cultures. Work in groups.
| Individualistic Cultures | Collectivistic Cultures | |
| "Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals." (Oscar Wilde) | "We don't have private property, only degrees of collectivism." (Peter Cajander) | |
| a laissez-faire government approach to the economy | government intervention in business situations to ensure that business practices benefit the group | |
| Economy | faster economic growth through innovation | less economically developed |
| developed/ wealthy | underdeveloped / poor | |
| modern industries/ urbanization | more traditional agriculture | |
| greater social mobility/larger middle class | less social mobility/smaller middle class | |
| equity in resource distribution compatible with productivity, competition, and self-gain | equity in resource distribution associated with solidarity, harmony, and cohesion | |
| higher ability for coordination and comparative advantage at coordination-intensive production | higher ability to overcome collective action problems possibly leading to better public good provision | |
| Politics | primacy of the individual | primacy of the group—class, society, or the nation |
| higher ability to overcome collective action problems possibly leading to higher efficiency of government organization | higher demand for political and social stability | |
| open to institutional innovations and experiments in governance reform decided democratically and reversed democratically in case of failure | a lower taste for institutional experimentation | |
| competitive elections to gain power | political power by interest groups | |
| laws / the same rights for all | law / rights depend on the group | |
| Values | individual competitiveness and personal achievement | group competitiveness and group achievement |
| self-determination and individual choice | group or hierarchical decision-making | |
| postsecondary education | contributing to the family through wages, housework, etc. | |
| independent living and self-reliance | residing with kin, interdependence, and possibly being cared for | |
| self-respect | “loss of face” | |
| behavior is more predictable from attitudes | behavior is more predictable from norms and roles | |
| non-intimate and short-term relationships | intimate and long- term relationships influence of social proof arguments | |
| Religion/ Ideas | monotheistic | polytheistic |
| individual conversion | group conversions | |
| science/tech seen as matter of fact | science/tech seen as magic | |
| Family | nuclear family | extended family / tribe |
| loose family ties | a strong sense of obligation toward each other | |
| Workplace | staff category (management, professional technical, clerical, manual) are most filled through recruitment agencies, advertisement and direct from educational institution | staff category (management, professional technical, clerical, manual) are most frequently filled internally |
| hiring and promotion based on skill and personal records/ rules | hiring and promotion based on recommendations of family members, who already work for the company | |
| more formal recruitment methods | more informal recruitment methods | |
| more working hours | fewer working hours | |
| attempt to change groups more often and have weaker bonds to them | more permanent attachment to the group | |
| performance is more related to ability than effort | low performance is explained mainly by lack of effort | |
| more accurate evaluation of the performance of colleagues | more generous evaluation in-group members | |
| greater preference for individual-based rewards | greater preference for team-based rewards | |
| fight about jobs and trying to climb up in the hierarchy ladder and less caring who will left behind | trust, harmony and a deep understanding of moral values in the relationship between employer and employee or business partners | |
| in favour of flexibility in job allocation | in favour of long term contracts | |
| Education | the purpose: to learn how to learn | the purpose: how to do and acquire the customs and norms of that society in order to function better as an in-group member |
| teachers deal with individuals | teachers deal with groups | |
| students are encouraged to be self-reliant, competitive, and pursue personal goals | classroom group activities, teamwork and cooperation | |
| students are expected to speak up | students are expected to listen |
