Western Individualism Research Articles

Конструирование правовой субъектности в восточных дискурсивных практиках: постановка проблемы

Introduction. The article deals with the problem of understanding legal subjectivity; it is noted that the image, social purpose and ontological essence of the subject of legal relations itself depends on the type of legal understanding. The Eastern legal tradition, in contrast to the individualistic Western one, revealed a collective subject to the world. Individuality of this subject is maintained in potency and manifests itself only under special conditions and within a certain social structure. To understand legal subjectivity in the civilisational (broad) sense, a new approach taking into account the diversity of human existence forms is needed. Methods. This article proposes a post-classical anthropological legal approach that highlights the contextuality of legal phenomena and actualises their relativity. Results. The article provides evidence that legal subjectivity is not reducible to individualistic interaction alone. Eastern cultures shape legal identity differently, and discursive practices highlight different variations of mutual recognition in which the individual, status group and society as a whole act towards each other with different degrees of dominance. The author argues that each culture creates its own ideal image of a human being in the world of law: sometimes it acts as a “creator”, sometimes as a “creation”, and sometimes it combines both at the same time. This, in turn, implies a certain set of values that adapt a person to the social system in which he actually lives and realises his socially significant needs. The article actualises the idea that legal subjectivity is a construct formed by a person as a social being at all stages of his formation, potentially claiming a universal legal order.

‘A two-person job’: the role of a supportive matrix for ‘good enough’ parenting

ABSTRACT This paper employs the psychoanalytic method of observation over 12 months to examine the development of an infant (Andrea) and her caregiving environment through weekly one-hour visits. Initially, the observations focused on interactions between Andrea and her mother, who was a single parent during pregnancy and Andrea’s early weeks. As the father became more involved, the focus broadened to include him, shifting the family dynamic from a dyadic to a triadic structure. This transition offers nuanced insights into the complexities of parental roles and the factors that enable ‘good enough’ parenting and healthy child development. The observations highlight that parenting, particularly caring for a newborn, is a challenging task requiring a collaborative family environment, with active parental involvement and broader support systems for both the caregiver and the child. This support helps ensure adequate parenting, which in turn fosters the infant’s emotional security and overall well-being. Drawing on psychoanalytic theories, these observations seem to show that while the primary caregiver-infant dyad is crucial, the effectiveness of caregiving and the child’s development are greatly enhanced by the larger support network. This underscores the need for stronger societal support systems to help caregivers and infants thrive, particularly in increasingly individualistic Western cultures.

Does Collectivism Make a Difference? A Comparative Test of Common Ingroup Strategies to Reduce Affective Polarization

Abstract Common national identity appeals have been identified as one of the most promising strategies to reduce affective political polarization. However, research on this is concentrated in highly individualistic Western democracies. Because much of the global population lives in more collectivist societies, it is important to conduct comparative tests to see if common national identity appeals operate similarly when considering the increasingly global problem of polarization. In this study, we investigate how the individualism–collectivism dimension of culture interacts with national identity salience as a polarization reduction strategy. Survey experiments were conducted in South Korea and the US. We find that priming national identity increases national pride much more in collectivist societies, but that the depolarizing effect of our national identity prime was only indirect and limited.

Culture, Social Class and the Dynamics of the Self

In an ongoing cycle of mutual constitution, culture, the self, and associated psychological tendencies dynamically interact. Prior studies show that people from Western individualist cultures construe the self in independent terms (stressing their uniqueness and separation from others), promoting analytic, context-independent ways of thinking. In contrast, people from Eastern collectivist cultures emphasize their interdependence and connectedness with others, promoting more holistic, context-sensitive ways of thinking. Recently, this literature has been extended to study within-culture variations by socio-economic status (SES). This work has suggested that higher SES contexts foster the view of the self as an independent agent and analytic cognitive tendencies. By contrast, individuals from lower SES tend to emphasize interdependence with others while displaying more holistic cognitive tendencies. Of importance, these SES differences are embedded in larger socio-cultural contexts differing in individualism and collectivism. Hence, the relationship among SES, self-construal, and cognitive tendencies can sometimes vary dramatically between cultures.

Gendered executive headhunting with Chinese characteristics

AbstractWomen executives face many barriers to career advancement, which then limits the advancement of women lower down the hierarchy. This study looks at the secretive and elite world of executive search (headhunting) as a gatekeeping system that hinders women's career advancement in China. Interviews were carried out with headhunters in China, including two in Taiwan to test transferability. Findings of this study show that executive women in China face more stark barriers than their western peers. Headhunters report little influence over clients, but they help profile jobs that emphasize technical and masculine views of leadership, ‘fit’ and ‘chemistry’ in hiring decisions, reinforce stereotypes, and do not support candidates. Our findings reflect the convergence of Confucianism, a highly competitive economic model, and a closed political system with limited space to promote women's interests. Headhunting, an imported practice, illuminates western individualist models of feminism rather than China's traditional collectivism and local models of feminism.

Playing to Save Sisters: How Female Gaming Communities Foster Social Support within Different Cultural Contexts

ABSTRACTGender bias frequently exists in gaming culture, and online communities have formed separatist safe spaces to provide female players with social support. This study is based on text mining of female player communities on two platforms, Reddit and Douban. Text analysis methods containing Structural Topic Model and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count were employed to explore how social support is presented and how topics and language features – including community identity, affection, and gender-related expressions – influence the social support that a post receives. Similarities and differences in these relationships are compared between two communities, representing Western individualist and Chinese collectivist cultures.

Analyzing Ambivalence and Hybridized Individualistic Western Cultural Values in Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke

This research explores postcolonial issues like ambivalence, cultural hybridity, mimicry, and identity crisis in Mohsin Hamid’s novel Moth Smoke. The novel presents the picture of Pakistani society surrounded by the presence of western values, cultural rifts and obsessions of materiality, and a weakening bond between the community and moral codes. Bhabha’s theory provides grounds to analyze the selected text. The wealthy characters of the novel, like Ozi and Mumtaz, are pursuing individualistic lifestyles affected by their touch with New York during their studies, while some Pakistani characters, like the drug dealer, Murad, are pursuing English as a basic language of communication only to hide their reality of low origin and stamp their authority and control over other. Ambivalence, hybridity, and mimicry of these characters are analyzed in this research. The hybridized individualistic western values lead Mumtaz to become an infidel to his husband and have extramarital affairs with Daru going against the cultural values of the Pakistani society with rigid patriarchal and sexual control over women. The space of cultural hybridity paves the way for mimicry in most of the instances and also leads to the downfall of Daru, the economically poor class friend of Ozi.

Enculturating the Science of International Development: Beyond the WEIRD Independent Paradigm

Initiatives in international development and behavioral science rely predominantly on the independent models of the self and agency that are prevalent in individualist Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) cultural contexts. Programs that are guided by these independent models, explicitly or implicitly, as the default way of being and that neglect interdependent models can reduce the potential of development initiatives to advance poverty reduction and well-being in two ways. First, programs based solely on independent models of agency—centered on personal goals and values; self-advancement and self-expression; and autonomy—can limit the scope and effectiveness of the development science toolkit. Second, programs that are not responsive to interdependent ways of being—centered on relational goals and values; responsiveness to social norms, roles, and obligations; and social coordination—that are common in many Global South sociocultural contexts can be met with resistance or backlash. We propose that taking account of interdependent psychosocial tendencies is a promising way to diversify the behavioral science toolkit and to build a more comprehensive science of human behavior. Furthermore, culturally responsive program designs have the potential both to promote decolonized, inclusive approaches that preserve rather than override local ways of being and to enable diverse trajectories of societal development to flourish. We integrate experimental and descriptive research from psychology, economics, education, and global health to suggest how models of interdependent agency can be productively integrated into development program designs to advance quality of life in locally resonant ways.

Ethics in Small Island Research: Reflexively navigating multiple relations

This article concerns research ethics in small, insular communities such as islands and other locales islanded by topography and/or isolation. Using the Faroe Islands as case, the point of departure is a discussion of how islanders navigate multiple relations and how this might impact research ethics. Because relations in such island/islanded communities can be highly interwoven and complex, this article argues for a situated research ethics that is grounded in multiple relations. Most research ethics codes are grounded in Western individualist thought, conceived outside the social sciences and in non-island settings. Furthermore, they may fail to take adequate account of the social interconnectedness, interdependency, and intimacy, which can prevail in small island/islanded communities. Using the concept of reflexive navigation, the article presents a research ethics that encompasses a relational ethics. In doing to, a framework of ethical reflexive navigation is proposed which can support researchers and island research institutions. Within the relational ethics framework, the ethical qualities of attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness are applied to research in island/islanded communities.

Enhancing health and wellness by, for and with Indigenous youth in Canada: a scoping review

BackgroundIndigenous youth in Canada face profound health inequities which are shaped by the rippling effects of intergenerational trauma, caused by the historical and contemporary colonial policies that reinforce negative stereotypes regarding them. Moreover, wellness promotion strategies for these youth are replete with individualistic Western concepts that excludes avenues for them to access holistic practices grounded in their culture. Our scoping review explored strategies, approaches, and ways health and wellness can be enhanced by, for, and with Indigenous youth in Canada by identifying barriers/roadblocks and facilitators/strengths to enhancing wellness among Indigenous youth in Canada.MethodsWe applied a systematic approach to searching and critically reviewing peer-reviewed literature using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews [PRISMA-ScR] as a reporting guideline. Our search strategy focused on specific keywords and MeSH terms for three major areas: Indigenous youth, health, and Canada. We used these keywords, to systematically search the following electronic databases published in English between January 01, 2017, to May 22, 2021: Medline [Ovid], PubMed, ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, and iportal. We also used hand-searching and snowballing methods to identify relevant articles. Data collected were analysed for contents and themes.ResultsFrom an initial 1695 articles collated, 20 articles met inclusion criteria for this review. Key facilitators/strengths to enhancing health and wellness by, for, and with Indigenous youth that emerged from our review included: promoting culturally appropriate interventions to engage Indigenous youth; using strength-based approaches; reliance on the wisdom of community Elders; taking responsibility; and providing access to wellness supports. Key barriers/roadblocks included: lack of community support for wellness promotion activities among Indigenous youth; structural/organizational issues within Indigenous communities; discrimination and social exclusion; cultural illiteracy among youth; cultural discordance with mainstream health systems and services; and addictions and risky behaviours.ConclusionThis scoping review extracted 20 relevant articles about ways to engage Indigenous youth in health and wellness enhancement. Our findings demonstrate the importance of promoting health by, and with Indigenous youth, by engaging them in activities reflexive of their cultural norms, rather than imposing control measures that are incompatible with their value systems.

Who is Afraid of Mourning?

Mourning and solidarity are intense inner feelings as well as an outward ‘show’ of emotions. Both have to be demonstrated. In the moment of loss, mourning seeks alliances and opens up a new possibility for bonding. Mourning carries the intensity of feeling and moving gestures that create a rare trust among the participants. In the case of violent and unnatural and unjust deaths, mourning turns into a protest. Beyond the social and ritual significance of mourning, it opens up an ethical encounter in which mourning becomes too ‘political’. It is not surprising that the act of mourning is getting curtailed under the rising culture of authoritarianism across the world. In Performing Mourning, Guy Cools discusses the prevention of mourning in Western society. He writes, ‘Our Western Society has suppressed external rituals. It has interiorized mourning, which carries serious risks of psychological, physical and energetic blockage in the body.’ (2021: 51). While Western individualist societies and bourgeois societies at large try to prioritize and privatize grieving, it is mourning that brings us to share the embodied loss in movement and gestures. Though grief and mourning cannot be separated, the global capitalist society tries to individualize the loss and escape the collective responsibility. Thinking through the cultural performance of mourning and its curtailment by the Indian authorities, this article analyses the power of mourning from which radical solidarity can be forged. But what is the nature of this solidarity? How exactly is solidarity conceived and practised in the situation of mourning? How do the mourning practices in non-Western societies help us to learn something about solidarity? While I recognize the gendered role of women in mourning, I argue that it can also serve egalitarian purposes. In the case of genocide and other forms of structured violence and increasing biopolitical regimentations of life, mourning facilitates marginalized and minority bodies and voices to come together and participate in sharing their grievances.

Is This Stalking? Perceptions and Victimization Experiences of Stalking and Intrusive Behaviors in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Ghana.

Many studies of stalking and intrusive behaviors are conducted with samples from individualist Western cultures, and limited information is available on such behavior in collectivist cultures. By using a sample of 1143 adults (440 males and 703 females) from Hong Kong (n = 305), mainland China (n = 464), and Ghana (n = 374), this study compares perceptions and experiences of stalking and intrusive behaviors as well as the frequency and duration of the participants’ worst experiences with such behaviors. The lifetime prevalence rate of stalking victimization for the overall sample was 34.6%, 22.3% for the Hong Kongers, 32.3% for the mainland Chinese, and 47.3% for the Ghanaians. Relative to the Hong Kongers and Ghanaians, the mainland Chinese were more likely to judge most intrusive activities as unacceptable. However, the mainland Chinese were generally less likely to have experienced the listed intrusive activities than their counterparts. The Ghanaians, in contrast, reported significantly more victimization experiences than the Hong Kongers and the mainland Chinese, especially with aggression and surveillance, unwanted attention, and persistent courtship and imposition types of behaviors. Furthermore, the mainland Chinese and Ghanaians generally reported significantly higher frequencies of stalking and intrusive behavior in their worst experiences than did the Hong Kongers. Conversely, the Hong Kongers and Ghanaians reported significantly more persistent types of stalking and intrusive behaviors than the mainland Chinese. The results of this study indicate the need for anti-stalking legislation in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Ghana, given the devastating nature and consequences of stalking and intrusive behaviors there.

Study protocol for evaluating Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM): a community-based, Pacific-driven approach to health

BackgroundButtabean Motivation (BBM) is a Pacific-led organisation which aims to reduce obesity amongst Pacific and Māori people in New Zealand enabling them to choose a healthy and active life-style for the duration of their lives, their children, their wider family and the community. BBM offers a holistic approach to weight loss, recognising that mental health, family and cultural factors all play essential and critical role in nutrition and physical activity patterns. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of BBM for sustained health and wellbeing outcomes among its predominantly Pacific and Māori participants for both general BBM members and those with morbid obesity attending the ‘From the Couch’ programme.MethodsQuasi-experimental pre-post quantitative cohort study design with measured or self-reported weight at various time intervals for both cohorts. Weight will be analysed with general linear mixed model for repeated measures, and compared with a prediction model generated from the literature using a mixed method meta-analysis. The secondary outcome is change in pre- and post scores of Māori scale of health and well-being, Hua Oranga.DiscussionMultiple studies have shown that many diet and physical activity programmes can create short-term weight loss. The fundamental question is whether BBM members maintain weight loss over time. In New Zealand, Pacific and Māori engagement in health enhancing programmes remains an important strategy for achieving better health and wellbeing outcomes, and quality of life. Internationally, the collectivist cultures of indigenous and migrant and minority populations, living within dominant individualist western ideologies, have much greater burdens of obesity. If BBM members demonstrate sustained weight loss, this culturally informed community-based approach could benefit to other indigenous and migrant populations.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12621000931875 (BBM general members) First submitted 10 May 2021, registration completed 15 July 2021. ACTRN12621001676808 7 (From the Couch) First submitted 28 October 2021, registration completed 7 December 2021.

Examining Cultural Differences in the Associations between Appraisals and Emotion Regulation and PostTraumatic Stress Disorder in Malaysian and Australian Trauma Survivors.

Appraisals and emotional regulation play a central role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite research demonstrating cultural differences in everyday appraisals and emotion regulation, little research has investigated the influence of culture on these processes in PTSD. This study examined cultural differences in the associations between appraisals, emotion regulation and PTSD symptoms using trauma survivors from an individualistic Western culture (Australia) and a collectivistic Asian culture (Malaysia). Trauma survivors (N = 228; 107 Australian with European cultural heritage, 121 Malaysian with Malay, Indian or Chinese cultural heritage) completed an on-line survey assessing PTSD (PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 with Life Events Checklist), appraisals (trauma-related, fatalism, cultural beliefs about adversity) and emotion regulation (suppression, reappraisal, interpersonal). The Malaysian group reported significantly greater fatalism, cultural beliefs about adversity, suppression and interpersonal emotion regulation than the Australian group. Greater trauma-specific appraisals, greater suppression, fewer cultural beliefs about adversity, and less use of social skills to enhance positivity were generally associated with greater PTSD symptom severity, with little evidence of cultural group moderating these associations. Interdependent self-construal mediated the relationships between cultural adversity beliefs, enhanced positivity, reappraisal, perspective taking and PTSD symptoms. Independent self-construal mediated the relationships between fatalism and perspective taking and PTSD symptoms. Cultural group did not moderate these indirect effects. Interdependent self-construal mediated the associations between interpersonal regulation strategies of soothing and social modelling with PTSD symptoms for the Malaysian but not the Australian group. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering self-construal and culture in understanding factors associated with PTSD.

Structural empowerment among social workers in Hong Kong: its relationship with job satisfaction and psychological well-being

ABSTRACT Kanter’s model of structural empowerment developed in Western individualist culture has similar functionality in Hong Kong where collectivism is valued. Structural empowerment exerted a direct effect on job satisfaction and an indirect effect on psychological well-being via global psychological empowerment and job satisfaction. Opportunities for training and self-growth were most accessible to social workers, but least related to job satisfaction and had no bearing on psychological well-being. To empower social workers to provide a quality service, access to information, resources, and support in the workplace is more essential than access to training and self-development.

Understanding Religious Change in Africa and Europe: Crossing Latitudes; The Christianization of Jukun of Nigeria and Celtic Irish in Early Medieval Europ

Understanding Religious Change in Africa and Europe: Crossing Latitudes; The Christianization of Jukun of Nigeria and Celtic Irish in Early Medieval Europ

44.3 CRAZY STRESSED ASIANS: THEMES FROM DISCUSSION GROUPS SUPPORTING ASIAN/ASIAN AMERICAN TRANSITIONAL-AGED YOUTH

Racism toward Asian ethnicities dates back to the 19th century. Such sentiments continue to have a presence and impact on Asian American youth. The objective of this presentation is to review the historical and current context of anti-Asian racism, understand how experiences of racism impact identity and mental health in Asian American youth, and identify approaches for clinicians to manage and treat Asian youth populations with cultural humility. The presenter will review the historical, social, and political contexts of anti-Asian racism in the United States and draw on themes and experiences gathered from facilitating university-based discussion groups among Asian/Asian American transitional-aged youth (TAY) students to explore the impact of anti-Asian racism and culture on mental health and identity. Throughout US history, perceptions of Asians as a threat to America, commonly termed the “yellow peril,” resulted in the passage of laws barring migration and naturalization, as well as executive orders resulting in internment of Asian citizens. Today, anti-Asian racism manifests in the perpetuation of the “model minority” stereotype and rising attacks on Asian people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the facilitated discussion groups of Asian/Asian American TAY students, emerging themes include forms of violence experienced during COVID-19, issues with the model minority stereotype, burden of acculturation with subsequent loss of cultural identity, and cultural clashes between Eastern collectivist and Western individualist values. These themes reflect the ongoing struggles of Asian students reconciling one’s identity, self-esteem, connection to one’s family and community, and experiences of mental illness. Anti-Asian racism impacts Asian American youth in multiple ways, particularly on their development of identity, sense of self, and mental well-being. Mental health clinicians need to be aware of the history of anti-Asian racism and the ways it is expressed today, and to gain insight into our own biases in order to best treat our Asian American populations.

Professionals’ interpersonal communications style: does it matter in building client psychological comfort?

PurposeThe inherent characteristics of professional services (i.e. high in credence properties, customized and featuring information asymmetry) often cause difficulties for clients to confidently evaluate technical outcomes before, during or even after service delivery. This results in considerable client psychological discomfort. This study aims to blend a revised social interaction model and uncertainty reduction theory to investigate the role that service provider’s interpersonal communication style plays in establishing client psychological comfort and satisfaction in a health-care context.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on cross-sectional data collected from 355 hospital patients following visiting a physician plus an experimental design in an Eastern culture (Thailand).FindingsThe study reveals three key findings. First, an affiliative communication style is positively associated with psychological comfort, but not so a dominant communications style. When both styles are presented, the high-affiliative style overshadows the low-dominant style and creates the highest psychological comfort. Second, clients’ perceptions of professional’s affiliative and dominant styles influence psychological comfort differentially under varying conditions of clients’ cognitive social capital, collectivist value-orientation but not service criticality. Third, a competing model suggests psychological comfort acts as a partial mediator between affiliative communication style and satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsTo generalize the findings, further studies might be conducted in other professional services and in individualist Western cultures.Practical implicationsThe findings have important managerial implications for the appropriate use of communication style to build psychological comfort and engage clients of professional services firms.Social implicationsThe findings shed light on the important role of an everyday social function – interpersonal communications and how this impacts client psychological comfort and satisfaction.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies in a services context that examines the impact of professionals’ communications style. Moreover, it examines the impact of cultural value-orientation, cognitive social capital, service criticality in moderating the communications style – client psychological comfort relationship.

The association between reading motivation and reading achievement in Chinese students: Exploring the role of personality

It is documented that individualistic (Western) versus collective (Eastern) societies may have different expectations of students. For example, compared to their Western counterparts who tend to be more intrinsically motivated to learn, learning in China tends to be characterized by group-level success, being prideful and ensuring positive career outcomes. Further, it is possible that individual differences, such as personality, may be mediating the relationship between reading motivation and achievement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the associations between reading motivation, personality traits and reading grade in a sample of students from Mainland China (n = 422) between the ages of 11 and 19 (M =14.61, SD = 1.55). Using path analysis, we examined if reading motivation might be working indirectly through individual personality traits to influence reading grade in this sample. Our results highlight the role of individual differences in the relationship between reading motivation and achievement. Further, results of our study emphasize the importance of fostering Openness, particularly within Chinese students, as it could be associated with higher reading achievement. Taken together, our results suggest that educators working with Chinese students should consider individual differences when fostering reading motivation to increase reading achievement in students.

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.