Collectivist Cultural Orientation Research Articles

Individualist-collectivist profiles in secondary school: an exploratory study of trait emotional intelligence and academic achievement

AbstractAn individualist (I) or collectivist (C) cultural orientation affects individuals’ attitudes, behaviours and values. This study aimed to identify the first-year secondary-school students’ I–C profiles and explore their implications for students’ trait emotional intelligence (EI), emotions towards school and academic achievement (GPA) throughout the 3-year secondary-school cycle. A total of 222 secondary-school students (58.6% females; Mage = 15.4; SD = .63 in the 10th grade) were enrolled in a longitudinal study. The cluster analysis identified three distinct I–C profiles: high individualist-low collectivist students, low individualistic-midlevel collectivist students and high individualist–high collectivist students. The results revealed significant differences between the I–C profiles regarding students’ trait EI, emotions towards school and GPA throughout secondary school, in particular favouring the high individualist–high collectivist profile. These findings are discussed based on the practical implications for students’ outcomes in the current secondary school system.

The Relationship between Parenting Behaviors and Adolescent Well-Being Varies with the Consistency of Parent-Adolescent Cultural Orientation.

To evaluate the limitations of the traditional parenting model in the cultural transition period, this study investigated the relationship between parenting behaviors and adolescents' well-being, in which the moderating role of consistency in parent-adolescent cultural orientation was also investigated. Six hundred forty-four parent-adolescent dyads completed self-report surveys. Parents completed the cultural orientation questionnaire (parental version), and adolescents completed the cultural orientation questionnaire (adolescent version), the adolescent-perceived parenting behavior scale, the adolescent basic psychological needs scale, and the adolescent well-being questionnaire. The findings were as follows: (1) Adolescent-perceived parental autonomy support positively predicted the satisfaction of adolescents' basic psychological needs, thereby enhancing adolescents' well-being levels. Conversely, adolescent-perceived parental control significantly predicted the frustration of adolescents' basic psychological needs, thereby reducing their well-being levels. (2) When both parents and adolescents share a collectivistic cultural orientation, high parental control significantly frustrated adolescents' basic psychological needs, but it did not negatively affect their well-being. However, when parents are collectivists but adolescents are individualists, high parental control would significantly induce the frustration of basic psychological needs, thus further impairing adolescents' well-being. The results revealed that differences in cultural orientations between generations during cultural transition periods moderate the effects of parenting behaviors.

A dual‐angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID‐19 social responsibility

AbstractBreaking infection chains requires not just behaviours that allow individuals to stay healthy and uninfected (i.e. health protective behaviours) but also for those who are possibly infected to protect others from their harboured infection risk (i.e. socially responsible behaviours). However, socially responsible behaviours entail costs without clear, immediate benefits to the individual, such that public health‐risking lapses occur from time to time. In this important yet understudied area, the current exploratory study sought to identify possible psychological factors that may affect people's likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours. Assuming that self‐perceived infection should provide an impetus to engage in socially responsible behaviours, we contend that lapses could occur in two scenarios: discounting of possible infection or prioritizing self‐interest over collective good. Through a vignette portraying COVID‐19 relevant symptoms presented to culturally diverse participants (Singapore and United States; N = 645), we found dispositional denialism (an ego defence mechanism) to exert a negative indirect effect on likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours through its negative association with perceived infection status. Further, social value orientation and cultural orientation appeared to significantly moderate the positive association between perceived infection status and the likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours, such that the positive association held only when individuals espouse both a prosocial value orientation and a collectivistic cultural orientation. Further analyses also point toward a possible attenuation of this positive association when individuals espouse a vertical cultural orientation. Future directions and implications for public health management are discussed.

Multilevel analysis of COVID-19 vaccination intention: the moderating role of economic and cultural country characteristics.

Predictors of COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccination have been extensively researched; however, the contextual factors contributing to understanding vaccination intention remain largely unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of economic development (Gross domestic product - GDP per capita), economic inequality (Gini index), the perceived corruption index and Hofstede's measurements of cultural values-index of individualism/collectivism and power distance index-in the relationship between determinants of satisfaction with the healthcare system, trust in political institutions, conspiracy beliefs and COVID-19 vaccination intention. A multilevel modelling approach was employed on a sample of approximately 51000 individuals nested within 26 countries. Data were drawn from the European Social Survey Round 10. The model examined the effect of individual- and country-level predictors and their interaction on vaccination intention. Satisfaction with the healthcare system had a stronger positive effect on intention to get vaccinated in countries with lower perceived corruption and more individualistic countries. Trust in political institutions had a stronger positive effect on vaccination intention in countries with higher economic development and lower perceived corruption, while a negative effect of conspiracy beliefs on vaccination intention was stronger in countries with lower economic development, higher perceived corruption and a more collectivistic cultural orientation. Our findings highlight the importance of considering individual and contextual factors when addressing vaccination intention.

The Burden of Keeping Things to Yourself: Self-Concealment and Suicidality

ABSTRACT Suicide is a critical concern for psychologists given the complexity of suicide risk and fatal consequences. Using self-determination theory (SDT) as a framework, we examined the relationships between self-concealment, basic psychological needs, collectivism, and suicidality in a sample of adults in the United States (n = 199). Self-concealment is an interpersonal pattern of hiding sensitive personal information from others and has been correlated with increased suicidality. We tested a model whereby unmet basic psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness) mediated the relationship between self-concealment and suicidality. We also included collectivist cultural orientation as a moderator. We found that greater self-concealment was associated with more dissatisfaction with all three basic needs. However, only dissatisfaction with the relatedness need was associated with more suicidality. The effect of relatedness need dissatisfaction on suicidality was moderated by collectivism such that the effect was stronger for participants who were higher in collectivism. We found support for SDT as a framework for theory driven exploration of self-concealment and suicidality. The significant moderating effect of collectivism also highlights the importance of including cultural variables in future research. We include a discussion of implications for research, intervention, and prevention.

Unsociability and Psychological and School Adjustment in Chinese Children: The Moderating Effects of Peer Group Cultural Orientations

This study examined the moderating effects of cultural orientations of peer groups on the relations between unsociability and psychological and school adjustment in Chinese children. Participants included 1,092 students (527 boys, M age = 12.21 years) in the sixth grade in elementary schools. Data on individualistic and collectivistic cultural orientations, unsociability, and adjustment were obtained from multiple sources including peer nominations, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. Using the Social Cognitive Map method, 193 peer groups were identified. Among the results, unsociability was negatively associated with peer preference and academic achievement in groups low on individualistic orientation but not in groups high on individualistic orientation. Unsociability was also negatively associated with peer preference more strongly in groups with higher scores of collectivistic orientation. The results suggested that, in general, unsociable children performed better in social and academical areas in more individualistically oriented groups and less collectivistically oriented groups. The cultural context of peer groups may play a significant role in shaping social and school adjustment of unsociable children.

Personal wellbeing among adolescents and youth in India

This study sought to explore the level of personal wellbeing and identified the determinants of happiness among Indian adolescents and youth. Data were collected from a sample of 495 participants (aged 11–23 years) residing in the National Capital Region of Delhi (Delhi-NCR), using the bilingual version (Hindi and English) of the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). Their PWI score was 80.06, indicating high happiness levels in the nonwestern normative PWI range. Domains of personal relationships, community connectedness, and safety represented high overall wellbeing with the highest mean scores. Multivariate analysis showed that the least happy group on life as a whole domain was students aged 19–23 years as compared with the 11–14 and 15–18 years age group. Furthermore, men had higher happiness levels on personal safety, while women had higher scores on life achievement. The qualitative analysis illustrated the socio-cultural basis of these wellbeing determinants as rooted in the hierarchical social structures and collectivistic cultural orientation.

Evaluation of COVID-19 governance in China: the effects of media use, pandemic severity, and provincial heterogeneity

ABSTRACT This study applied a web survey to explore what factors explain Chinese residents’ evaluation of COVID-19 governance in China. The authors found that the use of official news sources and collectivist cultural orientation can explain more positive evaluations of government, but neither the actual nor perceived pandemic severity was directly associated with evaluations of government performance. Applying a multilevel analysis, two divergent effects were found associated with the severity of the pandemic: the positive rally effect and the negative attribution effect. In areas where the pandemic was particularly severe such as Hubei, the two divergent effects were especially evident.

Dyadic Coping, Dyadic Coping Based Gratitude (DC-G), and Relationship Satisfaction in Pakistani Couples.

Dyadic coping-based gratitude (DC-G) refers to the reaction of appreciation and thankfulness in response to received problem-focused and emotion-focused positive dyadic coping (DC) behaviors by the partner. The actor-partner interdependent mediation model was used to test the mediating role of DC-G between DC and relationship satisfaction in a purposive sample of 300 Pakistani married couples, which were treated as indistinguishable following the use of a test for distinguishability. Mediation analysis demonstrated that DC-G partially mediated the couples' DC and relationship satisfaction implying that the association between DC and relationship satisfaction strengthened as the DC-G intervenes in the path model. Additionally, the actor-actor or partner-partner indirect effects were stronger compared to the cross-partner effect suggesting that husbands or wives' DC more strongly predicted corresponding relationship satisfaction via DC-G compared to husbands-wives' DC. Implications are discussed within collectivistic cultural orientation and Islamic religious obligations regarding marital relationships in Pakistani couples.

National Specificity of Dominance in Politicians’ Speech Behavior

The aim of the article is to analyze the dominant speech behavior of groups of parliamentarians, depending on the national and cultural specifics of the sender of the text, using the methodology adopted in Implicit Pragmalinguistics. The text of each speech is divided into small syntactic groups, which in Implicit Pragmalinguistics are considered the standard units of the analysis. In total, more than three thousand such units were analyzed during the study period. The material for the study of the politicians’ speech behavior was the texts of the speeches of 20 politicians speaking in English and Russian, presented in the period from 2019 to 2020 in their national parliaments, the British Parliament and the State Duma. The analysis shows that the majority of politicians are distinguished by a dominant type of behavior, which is expressed in the manifestation of a bright individuality. A successful politician is always a talented leader and organizer who has the prevalence of character traits that are associated with independence, decisiveness, authoritarianism and focus not only on himself/herself, but also on the audience. All selected groups of the politicians showed great confidence in what they are talking about, which indicates the signs of a successful and professional leader. In the course of a comparative analysis, we came to the conclusion that dominance in the speech of the politicians is manifested differently and depends on the nationality of the parliamentarians. Thus, the Russian-speaking politicians of both sexes confirm their collectivist cultural orientation in speech behavior, and the British generally follow the principles of individualism; the Russian-speaking female politicians are a little more categorical and confident in their speeches than the English-speaking ones.

Thai and Serbian Student L2 Motivational Selves: A Contrastive Study

Applying L2 Motivational Self-System, the aim of this paper is to investigate how Thai and Serbian students construct their L2 motivational self-systems. A total of 543 students from Thailand and Serbia completed an 18-item questionnaire aimed at sampling relevant motivational factors. Although the students from both universities reported medium levels of motivated behaviour and a strong influence of their L2 learning experience, the most influential factors in the construction of self-systems were fundamentally different. While Serbian students construct their motivational self-systems on the basis of their ideal L2 selves, Thai students shape their motivational self-systems on the basis of ought-to L2 self. This difference points to the overall teaching approaches adopted in the investigated settings, where in Serbia learning experience is guided by the communicative approach to language teaching, while the Thai learning experience rests on a teacher-centred approach shaped by the collectivist cultural orientation.

The Impact of Pandemic Perception, National Feeling, and Media Use on the Evaluation of the Performance of Different Countries in Controlling COVID-19 by Chinese Residents.

Different nations responded to the global spread of COVID-19 differently. How do people view the governance practices and effects of various countries? What factors affect their views? Starting from the three-dimensional model of cognitive-affective-media, this study examines how pandemic perception, the national feeling, which is the emotional preference of public for different countries, and media use affect the Chinese public views on the performance of other countries in controlling COVID-19. After performing regression analysis on the data of 619 Chinese public samples collected by an online survey, it reveals the following: (1) pandemic perception is negatively correlated with the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance in different countries by Chinese residents, whereas national feeling is positively correlated with the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance. (2) The use of media has different characteristics in the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance in different countries by Chinese residents. Television has a significant influence on the evaluation of controlling-pandemic performance in the United States, China, and Germany by Chinese residents. (3) Collectivist cultural orientation has no significant impact on the evaluation of the anti-pandemic performance of different countries by Chinese residents, whereas virus perception only has a significant impact on the evaluation of the controlling-pandemic performance of the United States and Italy. Research has confirmed the existence of the cognitive-affective-media model in the evaluations by public on the governance of other countries, and prospects for the superimposed role of media in the cognitive-affective model.

Second-Language Learners from Collectivistic Societies own Self-Efficacy Effects on Performance and Self Perception of Career Success.

In reference to cultural patterns in collectivistic societies, teaching and learning are greatly influenced by the teachers’ collectivistic or individualistic cultural orientation (Kaur & Noman, 2015). However, in dealing with both audiences and their teaching platforms, a chasm appears between methodologies and their applications since collectivistic societies are reluctant to accept methodologies perceived as mere Western innovations. In other words, a seemingly pedagogical incongruence arises where direct individualistic Western influence is perceived as unsuitable to a collectivistic mindset. One must keep in mind that family members in collectivist societies, who view themselves as part of a group rather than independent individuals, seem to feel more interdependent and mutually responsible for each other. In addition to Vygotski’s assertion that children’s cognitive development is enriched through social interaction with more skilled individuals (1978), Bandura (1982) emphasizes that the degree to which learners believe in their own self-efficacy influences their functioning cognitively, motivationally, emotionally, and their decision making process. Also, self-efficacy is perceived to accelerate the process of adapting to a new environment while learners adopt new cultural practices and consent to norms and expectations. In our exploration, second-language learners (SLLs) from collectivistic societies advance academically—English as a second language included—within the frame of sociocultural theory, since they seem to be motivated by their culturally-induced sense of obligation to honor their parents and other group members. These SLLs are positively influenced by their prior experiences with the group’s perceptions and expectations of their capability to learn an additional language (Bandura & Schunk, 1981; Schunk, 1991). Our research seems to indicate that this outcome is significantly affected by the self-efficacy and self-reliance produced by prior successes in challenging tasks that may have been mandated by the SLL’s elders. In addition, SLLs also seem to succeed in accomplishing more challenging goals as they observe their families’ values and traditions even when they are in a society that enforces individualistic values.

Sustainable apparel purchase intention: collectivist cultural orientation and price sensitivity in extended TPB model

Increasing pollution, climate change and concern over the energy consumption in conventional apparel production methods has made the textile industry as a major pollution source. Empirical advancement in the field of sustainable apparel and customer behavioural intention are not sufficient enough to be presumed applicable in Indian market settings. This study intends to examine the application of the extended TPB model by additional constructs like collectivism cultural orientation, environmental concern and price sensitivity for anticipating green apparel purchase intension of educated millennial in India. Quantitative research followed with cross-sectional survey design was used to ascertain millennial behavioral intention towards eco-friendly apparels. Variance-based estimator, Partial Least Square (PLS) structural equation modelling was used to confirm the proposed structural relationship and Multi Group Analysis (MGA) was employed to test the moderating effect of price sensitivity. Study disseminates valuable insights to policymakers and marketers to formulate strategies and policies to attain sustainability in fashion. India being a collectivist nation the study suggests marketers to manage collectivistic national values in order to promote environment friendly apparel so as to educate customers about environmental issues and the benefit of using ecological friendly product.

Does culture or self-directed learning drive online performance?

PurposeThe foundations of internally driven discipline are similar to self-directed learning (SDL). This study examines the effect of cultural orientation and SDL on the online performance of college students. It investigates how college students pursue SDL while maintaining a collectivist cultural orientation in their learning experience. It explains why students prefer SDL to learning constrained by an externally enforced discipline.Design/methodology/approachThe explanatory sequential mixed-method design uses a quantitative method, followed by qualitative enquiry. The research was conducted in an undergraduate non-credit online course in China.FindingsThe findings show that cultural orientation has no impact on students' online performance, while SDL abilities are positively related to it. When fully mediated by SDL, a horizontal-collectivist culture has a positive effect on students' online performance.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected in a non-credit online college course, where the final assessment used a peer-rating approach and team members shared the same final score. This scoring method may not fully reflect each student's online performance.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that, when considering cultural influence on student performance, researchers should consider learning contexts, including educational level and learning mode. This study validates that colleges should focus on ability and skill development that enhance internal motivation to improve students' online performance, rather than focussing on their beliefs.Originality/valueThis paper introduces evidence to support the impact of culture on college students' online performance, showing that SDL abilities can drive performance.

Do cultural orientations moderate the relation between Chinese adolescents’ shyness and depressive symptoms? It depends on their academic achievement

AbstractWe examined the moderating roles of individualistic and collectivistic cultural orientations and academic achievement on the relation between Chinese adolescents’ shyness and depressive symptoms. A sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 492) from an urban school participated in the study during seventh (T1) and eighth (T2) grades. Adolescents self‐reported their shyness, cultural orientations, and depressive symptoms. The school provided records of their academic achievement. Concurrently, shyness and individualism were positively whereas collectivism and academic achievement were negatively, associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Longitudinally, T1 shyness (but not individualism, collectivism, or academic achievement) predicted T2 depressive symptoms after controlling for stability in depressive symptoms. Concurrent relations between shyness and depressive symptoms were moderated by adolescents’ cultural orientations. Specifically, collectivism was protective whereas individualism was harmful, for shy adolescents’ adjustment. Furthermore, collectivism and academic achievement jointly moderated the relations between shyness and depressive symptoms concurrently and longitudinally. The results suggest that cultural orientations may influence shy adolescents’ depression symptoms through individual‐level self‐evaluation, and indicate that cultural factors and academic achievement need to be considered comprehensively for understanding and improving shy Chinese adolescents’ psychological adjustment.

Perceived Responsibility and Stressfulness Among College Students in the United States and Japan

This study tested how the patterns of stressfulness would be associated with perceptions of a stressful event. Undergraduates in the United States and Japan reported their stressful event and retrospectively rated the stressfulness when the event happened and at the survey point. Results using cluster analyses demonstrated three patterns: Recovery, Chronic, and Low Stress. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that only Japanese students who perceived others as being responsible for their event were more likely to be in the Chronic group. Results may reflect collectivistic and individualistic cultural orientations and suggest that culture plays a role in the perceptions of stressfulness.

Cultural Adaptation of the Be under Your Own Influence Media Campaign for Middle-School American Indian Youth

American Indian (AI) adolescents living on reservations report much higher substance use rates compared to other youth yet there are few effective prevention interventions developed for them. This paper presents findings from formative research undertaken to guide adaptation for AI youth of a prevention intervention, Be Under Your Own Influence (BUYOI), previously found to be effective in reducing substance use among middle-school youth. We conducted focus groups with 7th graders, the primary target audience, and photovoice with 11th graders, the role models who would help deliver the campaign, to inform surface and deep structure adaptation. Both age groups noted the pervasiveness of substance use on the reservation and indicated that this posed a major challenge to being drug and alcohol free. Students also described aspects of their community that tied to signs of social disorganization. However, these youth have much in common with other youth, including high future aspirations, involvement in activities and hobbies, and influence from family and friends. At the same time, there were important differences in the experiences, environment, and values of these AI youth, including emphasis on different types of activities, a more collectivist cultural orientation, tribal identity and pride, and the importance of extended families.

Role of variability in cultural dimensions across generations in the context of CSR advertising in an East Asian market

ABSTRACTThe study examines how, across generations, Korean consumers perceive corporate social responsibility (CSR) ads when various ad appeals (help-self vs. help-other) are employed. The findings show that younger consumers have bicultural orientations compared to older consumers who have collectivistic cultural orientations. The findings showed that younger consumers were more likely to form favourable attitudes toward CSR ads and products when they viewed help-other ad appeals over help-self ad appeals compared to older consumers. Furthermore, the study revealed that variability in biculturalism plays a significant role in viewing CSR ads with help-self ad appeals. Further managerial implications and future study ideas are discussed.

Feasibility of a web-based suicide awareness programme for Asian American college students

ObjectiveThe Truth about Suicide video has been widely used but has never been empirically tested regarding its cultural appropriateness for Asian Americans. The purpose of the study was to determine...