Cultural Dimension: me or we

Some cultures focus on the individual as a unique, independent person, properly operating for his or her own benefit. Others focus primarily on the group, assuming that the group's well-being comes first, and the individual is expected to conform to the group's needs.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• individualism
• collectivism
• Diversity
• training
• Multicultural
• Multiculturalism
• multiracial
• Harassment
• workplace
• Cultural
• Dimension
• Trainer
• Competency
• conduct
• dimension
• diversityDNA
• differences
• Equality
• Human
• Rights
• Prevention

[just1of1000nds]

my left ear loved this

[InterfacetTraining]

lol, what did your right ear think?

[sergeypikalov]

This material as well as other topics that you cover have been taken from the Peace Corps website.

[InterfacetTraining]

our concepts and approach derive inspiration from many sources, including Geert Hofstede, Edmund Hall, Stella Ting-Toomey and others. I imagine the Peace Corps too has looked at these brilliant thinkers, writers and researchers -- I love that the Peace Corps is using these concepts, fantastic!

[InterfacetTraining]

Thank you! I love this dimension also; it explains so concisely the rules really generating how we "automatically" respond in so many situations.

[InterfacetTraining]

I'm so happy to hear this video was helpful to you! It is actually one of our favorites, and we work with it a lot, personally and in training/teaching.

[stephentsang2000]

Family-centrism is exactly somewhere in the middle of individualism and collectivism.

[TheSrKalanj]

You've just noted the chief reason NOT to consider it...

[TheSrKalanj]

You automatically gave the reason why I would not consider that. :D

[stephentsang2000]

You might consider family-centrism, like the Chinese and Indians, in which benefit of the extended family always came first, job & opportunities in public organizations or corporations are monopolized by people with same surnames, despite many of the family members are idiots.

[TheSrKalanj]

The key is to be somewhere in the middle - between the i and we...

[apell711]

Oh god. I'm so embarrassed. I live in America, which has been taken over by collectivism.

[wyrwich]

I see where you are getting at now. I've been trying to self educate myself on the literature from different spectra. I've become quite fond of anarchic literature; especially the idea of voluntarily associations.

[felixjazzage]

No, not necessarily: if the government acts an an arbitrator between individual interests only and protects individual rights, then it needn't be like Somalia. It is government by contract of the individuals but it need only be strong enough to prevent chaos and imbalancing of individuals' inherent rights. This does *not* mean that all individuals will have equal personal outcomes under a government, just that you don't wind up with gang rule.