The way you responded to the Sharing the Rewards exercise tells
you something about how you feel regarding individual achievement and reward.
Most Americans choose
to divide the available pool in a disproportionate way; they do not generally
divide the money equally. This tendency to stress either individuality or a
more collective response is one of the most widely distributed traits around
the world. Not every culture is at one end or the other of the spectrum, but
the majority tend to favor one over the other in everyday life. Knowing about
the basis of this Collectivism versus Individualism construct will help you to
recognize, understand, and anticipate attitudes in different types of cultures.
Individualist—
The individual identifies primarily with self, with the needs of
the individual being satisfied before those of the group. Looking after and
taking care of oneself, being self-sufficient,
guarantees the well-being of the group. Independence and self-reliance are
greatly stressed and valued. In general, people tend to distance themselves
psychologically and emotionally from each other. One may choose to join groups, but group membership is not
essential to one’s identity or success. Individualist characteristics are often
associated with men and people in urban settings.
Collectivist—
One’s identity is, in large part, a function of one’s membership
and role in a group, e.g., the family or work team. The survival and success of
the group ensures the well-being of the individual, so that by considering the
needs and feelings of others, one protects oneself. Harmony and the
interdependence of group members are stressed and valued. Group members are
relatively close psychologically and emotionally, but distant toward non-group
members. Collectivist characteristics are often associated with women and
people in rural settings.
Inner Directed vs Outer Directed
Inner-Directed people are those who feel that they largely
determine their destinies by inner characteristics, attitudes, and resources
they develop during their lifetime. By contrast,
Outer-Directed people feel they are governed by their
environment, institutions, organizations, people, circumstances, and situations
in which they happen to find themselves.
Comments
Conservatives limit their
collectivist allegiances to family and work groups. The family is the basic economic unit and the
objective in a work group is to maximize team performance. Conservatives rely
on what has worked in the past and what is logical. Conservatives believe in
individual responsibility and freedom and are exasperated at the consistent
failure of Liberal “experiments” in collectivism. They are largely inner
directed.
Liberals extend their
collectivist allegiances to everybody on the planet. The family is not the basic economic unit and
the objective in a work group is to get along. Liberals rely on feeling of
inclusion and what might be possible. Liberals believe in collective responsibility
and look to government to force compliance with their narrative. They are
largely outer directed.
No comments:
Post a Comment