Title: Cultural Differences in Psychology - Psychologist World
Headings: Cultural Differences in Psychology
Cultural Differences in Psychology
How cultural differences can affect our perception and behavior.
Defining Culture
Individualism vs Collectivism
Bias in Experiments
Cultural Differences in Relationships and Attachments
Cultural differences in emotions
Culture and measuring intelligence
Designing better studies

Content: Individualism vs Collectivism
One of the key distinctions between national cultures, which can influence the choices that people make, is that of individualistic versus collectivist societies: Individualistic Societies
Individualistic societies focus on needs of the individual person and encourage each person to strive to achieve their own potential, often in competition with, or sometimes to the detriment of, a person's peers. It emphasises the importance of self-reliance and give each individual the freedom to be oneself, nurturing the idea of self expression. Many countries in the West, such as the US, UK and other Western European countries are widely considered to be individualistic societies. Collectivistic Societies
In contrast to individualistic societies, collectivistic societies emphasize the importance of cooperation - working for the benefit of the collective - and assume that societies can only improve by a group effort amongst all members of the community. Collectivistic behavior may see altruistic acts or favors being carried out without the expectation of a reward other than that which benefits society. For example, a person may work extra hours without additional reward to fix a well, knowing that it will help to satisfy their fellow villagers' need for water. Collectivism is generally found in Eastern cultures - in countries such as Japan - and also in smaller groups such as Kibbutz farming communities in Israel, where each member works towards the town's collective goals. The field of psychology has long been dominated by Western schools of thought which have focused on individualistic-oriented approaches to explaining behavior. For example, the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung distinguishing the individual from the wider his or her wider setting, writing about the concept of the Self and the internal conflicts that affect their thoughts.