Cultural Differences Paper

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Cultural Differences Paper Mildred D. Rodriguez Psychology 535 July 4, 2011 Psychology Introduction Because all human beings are parts of social entities (families, clans, ethnic groups, societies, etc.), it is universally true that we are all individuals within collectivities. It must also be universally the case that there is a tension between our individualism and our collectivism, a tension that is resolved differentially both for individuals and for societies. That is, some societies tend to be more collectivistic than other societies and, within any society; some individuals tend to be more collectivistic than others (Segall, Dasen, Berry, & Poortinga, 1999). The purpose of the following paper is to analyze, interpret and discuss individualism vs. collectivism and their significance in understanding cultural differences. Individualism vs. Collectivism In order to understand the different processes and roles that an individual goes through their life span development it is very important to understand what is the meaning of culture and how much does culture matters. Every human being reacts and behaves according to the environment in which is exposed through their life. People live in different societies and as a consequence their cultural perspective and psychological processes are different from others. From a multicultural psychological perspective individualism and collectivism are concepts that enclose essential differences in how the interactions between people and their roles in societies are build. Individualism "stands for a society in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family only" (Hofstede, 1994). Individualism, the fundamental unit is the individual and the society that promotes individualism supports people’s well- being
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