Collectivistic and individualistic cognition.

Collectivistic and individualistic cultures have engaged the interest of researchers for a long time. Individualistic cultures are thought to promote self-reliance and competiveness where individuals are encouraged in the pursuit of autonomy and independence. Collectivistic cultures on the other hand place a stronger emphasis and value on the interest of the group based on social norms that support higher levels of conformity and social responsibility. Hofstede (1980) included individualism/collectivism as a cultural value that was useful in the ranking of countries and cultural groups. Markus and Kitiyama (1991b) made an important conceptual advance when they suggested that cultures identified as individualistic or collectivistic foster different kinds of self-construal called the independent and interdependent self.

Research support the view that people living in cultures defined as promoting individualistic values like Germany and the U.S. are more field independent compared to collectivistic cultures like those found in Malaysian and Russia (Kuhnen, Hannover, Roeder, Ali Shah, Schubert, Upmeyer, & Zakaria, 2001). The cultural context may in fact limit choices for independent decision making and thereby promote a field dependent cognitive style. Is field dependence conducive to creative thinking? While creativity is promoted in entrepreneurial societies and forms of self-expression regarded as healthy and normal, in collectivistic societies behavior that seek individual distinction may be met with social disapproval (Shiraev & Sobel, 2006). Creativity is negatively impacted in societies that enforce dogmatic thinking and limit exchange of ideas. Of course the presence of dogmatism is relative, both within cultural groups as well as between societies. In fact the disapproval of ideas is also manifested in so-called Western democratic societies as demonstrated in the persecution of communists and other unorthodox thinkers.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 870