Collectivistic Cultural Values Research Articles

The influence of allocentrism on residents’ sustainable entrepreneurial intentions in collectivist rural tourism destinations – a perspective from face and guanxi

Given the dual research gap between the topic of sustainable entrepreneurship in tourism and non-Western cultural contexts, this study integrates social identity and social embeddedness theories and introduces the concepts of face and guanxi to discuss the influence of residents’ allocentrism on their sustainable entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) in collectivist rural tourism destinations. The study adopted a dominant-sequential mixed research design. The study finds that residents’ allocentrism can directly influence or indirectly stimulate SEI by enhancing their desire to gain face and reinforcing guanxi. Residents desiring to pursue face are more willing to engage in sustainable entrepreneurship. Residents with stronger guanxi are more confident in overcoming the additional risks associated with maintaining entrepreneurial sustainability. This study suggests that the entrepreneurial process does not have to be a highly individualistic pursuit, and collectivist cultural values play a critical role in entrepreneurial decision-making processes regarding sustainability.

Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012-2023

In Japanese language classrooms, students have become more globalised in terms of the students’ educational and life experience background. Teaching pedagogies which have been used before globalisation may not be appropriate and effective to students after globalisation. The aim of this study is to investigate any cultural identity characteristics of students who studied Japanese at two British universities in the South of England between 2012 and 2023. The significance of this study is to investigate how students’ individualist or collectivist cultural background may affect students’ cultural identity. Participants were a total of 22 students who studied Japanese language through an Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP). The majority of these students have studied Japanese for a minimum of one year up to three years. The data was collected between 2012/13 and 2022/23 academic year from two British universities. The research design to investigate students’ cultural identity characteristics was a mixed method, using variables such as hometown, languages they speak, their values and their first name. Students’ nationality, where they were born and where they were educated were also taken into consideration to analyse the data. The key finding of students’ characteristic was that students’ identification was closely related to their sense of belonging in the results of students’ hometown, languages they speak, their values and their first name, which is in line with other previous research results in the literature. Other findings included that some of the students found it difficult to determine their hometown, that the majority of students were multilingual who have experience in several language learning, that students’ values were often influenced by their parents’ individualist or collectivist cultural values, and that students’ first names often showed the students’ identification and sense of belonging. Taking into consideration of individualist or collectivist culture, recommendations discuss on how the language teaching practitioners may be able to support the sense of belonging of the current students who have diverse educational and life background.

Elevated depression and anxiety predict future patterns of individualistic and collectivistic cultural values: A cross-lagged longitudinal network analysis

BackgroundSpecific components of independent and interdependent self-construal have been associated with psychopathology. However, most studies on this topic have been cross-sectional, precluding causal inferences. We used contemporaneous and temporal cross-lagged network analysis to establish weak causal effects in understanding the association between self-construal and psychopathology components. MethodsMiddle-aged and older community-dwelling adults (n = 3294) participated in the Midlife Development in the United States study across two time-points, spaced nine years apart. Six self-construal (interdependence: connection to others, commitment to others, receptiveness to influence; independence: behavioral consistency, sense of difference from others, self-reliance) and three psychopathology nodes (major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder (PD) symptom severity) were examined. All network analyses controlled for age, sex, race, and number of chronic illnesses as covariates. ResultsContemporaneous and temporal networks yielded relations between elevated MDD and PD and increased receptiveness to influence. Heightened GAD symptom severity was associated with future increased difference from others and decreased connection to others, commitment to others, and receptiveness to influence. Higher MDD, GAD, and PD severity were associated with future lower self-reliance. Network comparison tests revealed no consistent network differences across sex and race. LimitationsDSM-III-R measures of MDD, GAD, and PD were used. Results may not generalize to culturally diverse racial groups. ConclusionsChanges in self-construal may result from increased MDD, GAD, and PD severity. Findings suggest the importance of targeting common mental health symptoms to positively influence how individuals view the self and others in various social contexts.

Self-concept and the academic achievement of students from collectivist countries: A scoping review of empirical findings

The relationship between self-concept and academic achievement that is commonly cited has primarily been found in studies of students from Western countries with individualistic societies. Thus, this relationship may not be evident among students from non-Western countries, which are thought to largely adopt collectivist cultural values and behaviors that are inconsistent with the way that students from individualist nations perceive and evaluate their academic functioning. This lack of clarity motivates the present scoping review about the relationship between self-concept and academic achievement among students from collectivist countries who study in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools. A final review of 27 empirical articles involving student populations across educational levels and from several collectivist countries provided support for the same general relationship between self-concept and academic achievement that has been found in Western countries. Accordingly, the development of a favorable self-concept was associated with greater academic achievement. In some cases, this relationship was dependent on self-concept and academic achievement being measured in the context of a school-related discipline and on the time interval between the examination of both variables. Our findings provide insight into pathways to academic success that are effective across cultures, and we offer considerations for successful academic self-concept interventions for collectivist students.

Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors: influencers and moderators

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors at a university campus by examining various antecedent and moderating influencers of their sustainable consumption behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research methodology is used in this study. A structured questionnaire was administered (n = 279) to young college students (Gen Z consumers in the context of this study) enrolled at a large state university in the USA. The structural equation model was used to test the hypothesized relationships in the conceptualized model.FindingsStudy findings show that social responsibility (feelings, engagement and expectations) and external incentives (material and social) positively influence Gen Z consumers’ sustainability interests, which in turn influences their sustainable consumption behaviors (actions). Collectivist cultural values did not appear to have any statistically significant effect on Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption interests. Moreover, learned helplessness, perceived barriers and the awareness of the consequences of sustainability consumption actions did not have any significant moderating effect on Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThe questionnaire was only sent to students majoring in business degrees, which may limit the generalizability of this study to broader Gen Z consumer populations. Expanding this study to include non-business students may be valuable as a next step. Replicating this study in different cultural environments of international countries could enhance the relationships identified in this study.Practical implicationsConsumer social responsibility education along with material and social incentives will encourage Gen Z consumers’ participation in sustainable behaviors at college campuses.Originality/valueThis research provides valuable insights into understanding the importance of consumer social responsibility and external incentives in influencing Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption intentions and behaviors. Accordingly, consumer social responsibility education and incentive programs need to be developed to encourage the participation of Gen Z consumers in sustainable consumption.

Understanding the nature and consequences of transgressions and forgiveness in the workplace in India

The cultural context of an organisation may significantly shape the nature of transgressions and consequent forgiveness relevant to understanding the workplace outcomes. This study explored the nature of transgressions and the dynamics of forgiveness in the workplace of a heterogeneous Indian sample which have not been well addressed in previous studies. Qualitative research design was employed. Using a purposive sampling method, 48 participants from the government (n = 30) and private organisations (n = 18) were selected to form the final sample. The transcriptions from semi-structured interviews were analyzed by the Thematic Analysis Method. Two themes related to the nature of transgressions emerged: multiplicity of the sources of workplace transgressions (such as anger, discrimination, and work overload) and communications of workplace transgressions (e.g., through criticism, altered relationships, warnings). Concerning the dynamics of forgiveness in the workplace, three broad themes emerged: facilitators of workplace forgiveness (such as positive treatment, direct communication, scolding), barriers to workplace forgiveness (like, the intention behind wrongdoing, repetition of wrongdoing, decreased trust), and benefits of workplace forgiveness (such as positive emotions, good relations, healthy work environment). Management should develop an in-depth understanding of the nature of transgressions and the dynamics of forgiveness embedded in a specific cultural context which may help enhance a variety of positive organisational outcomes. Workplace transgressions and concomitant forgiveness are interwoven with the nature of organisations, individual level factors and socio-cultural contexts. Findings also provide some support that the coexistence of individualistic and collectivistic cultural values among Indians may have shaped workplace transgressions and consequent forgiveness.

A Study of Reasons for Self-Disclosure on Social Media among Chinese COVID-19 Patients: Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior Model.

With a massive population of internet users, China has witnessed a shift in the behavior of social media users towards the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning from reticence to frequent sharing of information in response to changing circumstances and policy adjustments of the disease. This study aims to explore how perceived benefits, perceived risks, subjective norms, and self-efficacy influence the intentions of Chinese COVID-19 patients to disclose their medical history on social media, and thus to examine their actual disclosure behaviors. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Privacy Calculus Theory (PCT), a structural equation model was constructed to analyze the influence paths among perceived benefits, perceived risks, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions to disclose medical history on social media among Chinese COVID-19 patients. A total of 593 valid surveys were collected via a randomized internet-based survey, which constituted a representative sample. Firstly, we used SPSS 26.0 to conduct reliability and validity analyses of the questionnaire, as well as the tests of demographic differences and correlations between variables. Next, Amos 26.0 was employed to construct and test the model fit degree, identify the relationships among latent variables, and conduct path tests. Our findings revealed the following: (1) There were significant gender differences in the self-disclosure behaviors of medical history on social media among Chinese COVID-19 patients. (2) Perceived benefits had a positive effect on self-disclosure behavioral intentions (β = 0.412, p < 0.001); perceived risks had a positive effect on self-disclosure behavioral intentions (β = 0.097, p < 0.05); subjective norms had a positive effect on self-disclosure behavioral intentions (β = 0.218, p < 0.001); self-efficacy had a positive effect on self-disclosure behavioral intentions (β = 0.136, p < 0.001). (3) Self-disclosure behavioral intentions had a positive effect on disclosure behaviors (β = 0.356, p < 0.001). Our study, by integrating TPB and PCT to examine the influencing factors of the self-disclosure behaviors among Chinese COVID-19 patients on social media, found that perceived risks, perceived benefits, subjective norms, and self-efficacy had a positive influence on the self-disclosure intentions of Chinese COVID-19 patients. We also found that self-disclosure intentions, in turn, positively influenced disclosure behaviors. However, we did not observe a direct influence of self-efficacy on disclosure behaviors. Our study provides a sample of the application of TPB in the context of social media self-disclosure behavior among patients. It also introduces a novel perspective and potential approach for individuals to address the feelings of fear and shame related to illness, particularly within the context of collectivist cultural values.

Chinese Adolescents' Perceptions of Aggressive Peers: The Roles of Gender and Cultural Values.

Aggression is a prevalent, maladaptive behavioral problem, yet how adolescents view and respond to aggressive peers vary across individual characteristics and cultural contexts. Using a dyadic peer-rating approach, this study investigated adolescents' perceptions of real-world, rather than hypothetical, aggressive peers, and the role of dyadic gender and individual cultural values. The sample included 274 adolescents (Mage = 13.23 years, SD = 0.68; 52% boys) from two public schools in rural China. Adolescents rated each classmate's physical and relational aggression, as well as their affiliative preference and social acceptance toward the classmate. Adolescents reported horizontal and vertical individualistic and collectivistic cultural values. Results indicated that (a) adolescents had similarly negative perceptions of physically and relationally aggressive peers; (b) boys and girls had more negative perceptions of male than female physically aggressive peers, and of same-gender than other-gender relationally aggressive peers; and (c) horizontal collectivistic values were associated with more negative, whereas vertical collectivistic and vertical individualistic values were associated with more benign, perceptions of aggressive peers. These findings uncover the complexity of adolescents' perceptions of aggressive peers and highlight the role of gender and cultural values in understanding attitudes toward aggression in a collectivistic context.

“The lab isn't life”: Black engineering graduate students reprioritize values at the intersection of two pandemics

AbstractBackgroundBlack engineering graduate students represent a critical and understudied population in engineering education. Gaining an understanding of the lived experiences of Black engineering graduate students while they are simultaneously weathering two pandemics, COVID‐19 and systemic racism, is of paramount importance.Purpose/HypothesisBlack engineering graduate students hold a unique duality, as both Black people in the United States and Black graduate students in US engineering programs that espouse white supremacist ideals. Their real‐world experiences necessitate understanding, and this paper highlights the related impact on the students themselves, their adaptations to the pandemics, and how those adaptations relate to and affect their support needs and navigation of their engineering academic environments.Design/MethodAn interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach was combined with community‐based participatory action research and was situated in Boykin's Triple Quandary. A family check‐in was conducted with 10 Black engineering graduate students enrolled in doctoral programs across the country to delve deep into their lived experience as a cultural community.ResultsFindings include an emergent framework of Black engineering graduate student values in response to the pandemics. These values aligned with the Black Cultural Ethos, demonstrating an adoption of collectivistic cultural values in times of crises. Further, COVID‐19 and systemic racism differentially impacted Black engineering graduate students and, thus, the manifestations of their values.ConclusionFor institutions to be able to effectively support their Black engineering graduate students, they must gain awareness of the students' experiences, values, and needs, in general, and amid crises specifically. The findings presented here provide a critical window into this information.

Social Capital and Rural Health for Refugee Communities in Australia.

Refugee resettlement significantly contributes to Australia's migration programs, with recent policy directives prioritising rural resettlement. As a result, the cultural diversity of populations of several Australian rural towns has substantially expanded. Newcomers may encounter challenges becoming part of closed social networks and accessing the resources they need for a healthy life in resettlement. However, there are also benefits that stem from positive integration for newcomers and for receiving populations. As part of a larger study, which aimed to explore facilitators and barriers to successful resettlement in a rural setting, the objective of this paper was to show how social ties were important for participants' health, both facilitating access to resources, including health services, and connecting people to health-promoting living conditions. In-depth individual interviews with 44 participants from refugee communities originally from Africa and South-East Asia, settled in a rural South Australian town, were conducted. Participants were invited to the study through snowball sampling via known connections between the researchers and key people within the communities. Interview transcripts were analysed using framework thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate how participants drew on connections within their cultural communities, reflecting collectivist cultural values. These social ties were key to enabling access to resources for health. These included emotional resources, such as a sense of belonging, as well as physical and practical resources, including food, housing, and/or accessing services. Several participants were also working towards a career in the health industry. Populations from refugee communities in rural towns are growing, not only with the continuation of new arrivals to these towns, but also as the settled populations expand their families and communities. Effective health service provision in these locations needs to serve these growing communities, and there is scope for services to tap into community networks to assist with this.

A cross-cultural comparison of a measure of parent perceptions among families of children with autism in Vietnam.

Raising an autistic child can affect many aspects of families' lives. Parents are responsible for many decisions, from initiating evaluation to selecting and implementing treatments. How parents conceptualize the course and nature of their child's diagnosis influences these processes and parents' own well-being. Parents' perceptions about their children's autism are also affected by cultural contexts and understanding of autism. The Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) is widely used to study cognitions in chronic health research and has been adapted and validated to measure parents' perceptions and beliefs about their children's ASD (IPQ-R-ASD). However, such studies are mostly conducted in high-income countries (HICs) with western, individualistic cultural values (e.g. United States, Canada). Therefore, it is unclear whether the IPQ-R-ASD is a useful instrument in understanding parents' perceptions of autism in Vietnam, a lower- and middle-income country (LMIC) with collectivistic Asian cultural values. These differences suggest that parents in Vietnam may have cognitive representations of their children's autism that differ from those of parents living in HIC, western countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the usability of the translated Vietnamese IPQ-R-ASD that may, ultimately, help explore Vietnamese parents' autism perceptions. While the study's result indicated the usability of the translated measure in Vietnam, when interpreted with Vietnamese norms, results also highlighted notable differences between Vietnamese and North American parents' perceptions of autism that warrant further research.

How international immigrants engage in sustainable entrepreneurship in their host countries? The moderating effects of collectivistic cultural values

AbstractUsing the in‐group lens of social identity, we study how difference in in‐group identity can lead to difference in sustainable entrepreneurship among international immigrants and their native counterparts. We also test how different dimensions of collectivism, that is, the institutional collectivism (IC) and in‐group collectivism (GC), can influence differently the relationship between in‐group identity and sustainable entrepreneurship. The results of our data analyses demonstrate a significant relationship between the in‐group identity and sustainable entrepreneurship, particularly green participation, at the societal level. Also, IC and GC moderate the relationship between the social identity and sustainable entrepreneurship. Finally, IC and GC also moderate the relationship between sustainable entrepreneurship and related satisfaction, although the directions of the moderating effects are different. Implications for future research and managerial practice are discussed at the end of this article.

The relationship between perfectionism and test anxiety of junior high school students: the mediating role of self-efficacy and trait anxiety

ABSTRACT Test anxiety contributed to lower student performance, limited students' learning opportunities, predisposed to negative emotional experiences, and affected physical and mental health. Perfectionism as one of the crucial factors influencing test anxiety has been widely confirmed in the context of individualistic cultural values. This study explores the effects of perfectionism on test anxiety among junior high school students in collectivist cultural values (e.g., China) and the role of self-efficacy and trait anxiety in this context. The results of the study indicated that adaptive perfectionism positively predicted test anxiety, and maladaptive perfectionism was not related to test-taking in a group of middle school students in a Chinese cultural context. If adaptive perfectionism caused an increasein self-efficacy, it weakened trait anxiety and reduced test anxiety, whereas when adaptive perfectionism failedto cause an increase in self-efficacy, it led to higher trait anxiety and test anxiety.

Does growth mindset benefit mental health in Asia? Evidence from Chinese students

Growth mindset has shown its unique potential in countering the growing prevalence of mental distress in the general population. However, the role culture plays in this process remains somewhat unanswered. In the current prospective study, we tested if early growth mindset of Chinese university students predicts less mental distress later, and how cultural values (i.e., individualism–collectivism, traditionality–modernity) affect the process. We found that growth mindset was prospectively predictive of mental conditions, and the positive effect of growth mindset was more salient among students endorsing lower collectivistic and higher modern cultural values. Our findings added evidence to the potential benefits of growth mindsets in an Asian context and highlighted the role of cultural values.

Attachment to God in a collectivistic context and its impact on perceived stress

Introduction: Research indicates that attachment to God is correlated with parental attachment and perceived stress. However, these relationships have not been studied outside the Western context. The present research evaluated the relationship between attachment to God and attachment to parents within different family systems and the impact of these attachments on perceived stress. Methods: A sample of 284 Christian undergraduate students in Pakistan was surveyed. The data were collected from the participants through convenience sampling. Relationships between attachment to parents, attachment to God, religiosity, and perceived stress were studied. Results: A significant positive relationship between attachment to parents and to God was found for the nuclear family system on the anxiety subscale. For the avoidance subscale, both nuclear and joint family systems had significant positive relationships between parental attachment and attachment to God; however, it was stronger for joint family systems. The multiple regression analysis showed parental avoidance (β = .256, p &lt;.001) and God anxiety (β = .281, p &lt;.001) as the strongest predictors of stress. Discussion: The findings highlight the impact of collectivistic cultural values, particularly the importance of relationships. The implications include the significance of the impact of culture on attachment relationships and the finding that attachment correlates with lower levels of perceived stress. The research also shows the difference in attachment styles depending upon the family system the participant belongs to which can again be attributed to cultural norms and values.

Barriers and Supports Experienced by Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Mental Health Services

As with minority groups internationally, Pacific peoples in New Zealand (Pasifika) experience higher rates of mental health problems than the general population, and are less likely to access mental health services. This study investigated the barriers and supports for Pasifika accessing and using mental health services with participation of 25 Pasifika (10 service-providers, 11 ex-service-users, and 4 ex-service-users/providers) in order to gain their key informant perspectives. A Pasifika-appropriate Talanoa approach was used to guide the data-collection process and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Barriers included stigma among Pasifika regarding mental health problems, commitment to finding solutions within the family, and both mistrust and lack of knowledge of services. Within the services, non-Pasifika providers often lacked understanding of the collectivist cultural values and practices of Pasifika, including spiritual beliefs. They were more likely to use services if the providers were respectful of Pasifika practices and paid attention to developing relationships in a culturally appropriate way. This included involvement of the Pasifika family, when possible. Service-users often benefited from contact with Pasifika providers within mainstream services. These results support previous cross-cultural research that indicates the importance of offering evaluation and intervention services grounded in an understanding and respect for the cultural significance and meaning of mental health problems for the person, the family, and their community. While efforts are made to address these issues in New Zealand, change is slow and ongoing cultural training for service-providers along with psychoeducation for Pasifika about mental health services is strongly desirable.

The Role of Perceived Susceptibility and Collectivist Values in Support for Using Social Distancing to Prevent COVID-19 in the United States

The present investigation examined the factors that were related to U.S. residents’ support for social distancing measures (i.e., stay-at-home) that can help prevent COVID-19 infections and save lives. Relying on a survey of 387 U.S.-based participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), conducted in May 2020, the results revealed that perceived susceptibility and collectivist cultural values predicted their support for social distancing, both directly and indirectly. The total effect sizes were moderate and strong, respectively. In addition, instrumental attitudes were a stronger predictor of the participants’ support for social distancing than experiential attitudes and perceived behavioral control. The results contribute to the understanding of how risk perceptions, collectivist values, and various attitudes are related to an important preventive behavior (i.e., social distancing) during a pandemic. It should be acknowledged that the concept of social distancing evolved throughout the pandemic in the United States.

Horizontal Collectivism Moderates the Relationship Between in-the-Moment Social Connections and Well-Being Among Latino/a College Students

Sleep problems and poorer well-being may be particularly salient for Latino/a college students as they tend to experience sociocultural adjustments during this transitory time. Social connections, a correlate of health, change moment-to-moment for college students and may be experienced differently for people who more strongly endorse horizontal collectivist cultural values. We used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine how in-the-moment social connections influence in-the-moment health, and how horizontal collectivism moderates the moment-to-moment associations. Self-identified Latino/a college students (n = 221) completed a demographic information and cultural values questionnaire and then responded to EMA measures on their social connections, affective and subjective well-being, and sleep for 14 consecutive days. Better in-the-moment social connections associated with better health. Horizontal collectivism moderated some, but not all associations between social connections and health. Social connections are multidimensional and differently predict in-the-moment health among Latino/a college students who more strongly endorse horizontal collectivistic values. We discuss implications for identifying vulnerable well-being moments among this understudied population.

Collectivist Discourses in Relational Intersectionality: Insights from Chinese American Christian Couples

Intersectionality espouses progressive societal dominant discourse norms that describe persons as individuals connected to a variety of social locations (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status [SES], ethnicity, sexual orientation, spirituality, vocation). This may not resonate with the cultural ideals of collectivist and bicultural communities, who are better understood when considered in context of both dominant and local intersectionality discourses. This retrospective interpretive thematic analysis examines the lived experiences of Chinese American Christian couples as they negotiate identity and roles in early parenthood. Findings indicate that the intersection of collectivist group identity markers, cultural values and spirituality guides how partners understand identity and negotiate relationship roles in marriage. Couples’ varied responses to cross-cultural and dominant discourse norms and other social location factors (e.g., vocation and SES) also account for individual differences. Implications for Chinese American Christian couples, and for the application of intersectionality theory to diverse populations, are discussed.

Ατομικισμός – Συλλογικότητα και σχολικός εκφοβισμός

The relationship between bullying at school and cultural value orientation constitutes one of the most interesting topics in the international literature during the recent years. Media in Western countries, where individualist cultural values prevail, present collectivist societies as less sensitive towards individual freedom and individual needs. For this reason, they postulate that phenomena such as peer violence and bullying at school are more frequent and more intense in societies where individuals are subordinated to the coercion and expectations of the group. Some recent studies confirm the above rationale and attribute it to the authoritarian parental style that such societies adopt. however, some other studies support the idea that collectivism is a cultural orientation that aims to prevent individuals from getting involved in violent actions against the powerless. Power distance, a cultural dimension referring to the way that power is allocated among people, with either individualist or collectivist cultural values, seems to be the key for the clarification of this issue. Both individualism and collectivism can have a horizontal and a vertical dimension of power distance. horizontal power distance fosters equality and cooperation, whereas vertical power distance underlines hierarchy and submission to the directives of authority. The current paper aims to explore the relationship between the above variables presentingfindings from empirical research.