Collectivist and Individualistic Culture
We often notice how different the East is from the West and vice versa. One of the biggest differences is culture. Only by understanding cultural differences and accepting them, we will be able to communicate, collaborate and live better together.
There is no perfect definition of culture. However, a simple definition by Geert Hofstede says that “culture is the collective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another.” Now there is a big difference between individualistic and collectivist cultures, something I have experienced myself. Coming from Albania, a collectivist culture, and living in Germany, a highly individualistic culture has made me realize a couple of things. But before we go there, we need to understand the difference between individualism and collectivism. Collectivistic cultures (Eastern cultures) emphasize community, collaboration, shared interests, harmony, tradition, and the public good. Individualistic cultures emphasize personal rights and responsibility, privacy, voicing one`s own opinion, freedom, innovation, and self-expression (Western cultures; the United States is accepted as the most individualistic country). The degree of individualism or collectivism in a culture determines how people live together…
