Individualism versus collectivism or versus authoritarianism?

Abstract

Although there has been progress in the definition, antecedents, and consequences of individualism and collectivism, there are some fundamental issues that need to be resolved. This study examined two such issues: the dimensionality of individualism and collectivism, and the relationship of these constructs to authoritarianism. Thirty‐eight American undergraduates judged the similarity among 15 concepts that have previously been shown to be reflective of elements of individualism, collectivism, and authoritarianism. Multidimensional scaling revealed two dimensions: individualism versus authoritarianism and active collectivism versus withdrawal from group involvement. Unlike the conception by Hofstede (1980) that individualism and collectivism are opposites, these results strongly suggest they are orthogonal. Furthermore, authoritarianism was construed as the opposite of individualism. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

The role of peer, parent, and culture in risky sexual behavior for Cambodian and Lao/Mien adolescents

“…The self is perceived to exist in relation to others. Previous research suggests that within the United States, European-Americans tend to be individualistic whereas minority groups such as Hispanics and Asians tend to be more collectivistic [32]. However, it is acknowledged that individualism/collectivism can be used as an individual level difference variable.…”

“…This 32-item scale [32] has 4 subscales to evaluate each of the 4 cultural orientations. The horizontal individualism scale emphasizes a view of the self as autonomous from others while underscoring equality (e.g., "I often do my own things").…”

Individualism: valued differently by parents and teachers of primary, junior high and high school students

“…Additionally, previous scales, for the most part, also included some core components of collectivism. It is now well established that individualism and collectivism are not totally antithetical, but are defined in part by dimensions of their own (e.g., Gelfand et al 1996;Tafarodi and Walters 1999). So an appropriate tool had to be constructed expressing items suited to the age of the students concerned: fourth, sixth and tenth graders, and related to the four individualistic components cited earlier.…”

“…Self-realization: Individualists decide and act more on the basis of whether an action leads to personal gain rather than collective gain. For them, personal goals and success prevail over collective ones (e.g., Bellah et al 1985;Dubois and Beauvois 2005;Gelfand et al 1996;Yamaguchi 1994). 2.…”

Against Violence Against Women

“…They might be labeled communal rather than communistic. Gelfand, Triandis, and Chan ( 1996 ) define collectivism as social outlook or culture in which an in-group member functions as an interdependent part of a collective, such as a family, tribe, work-group, religious group, party, or geographic district. In individualistic cultures, people expect to take care of themselves and their immediate families only (Hofsteder and Bond 1984).…”