Sociocultural Approach: Cultural Dimensions

Cultural Dimensions

an aspect of a culture that can be measured relative to other cultures

emic approach

investigates how local people think

Etic approach

an approach that is cross-cultural, searching for generalities across cultures

Characteristics of Emic approach

In-depth

Unique aspect of culture

Comparison with other cultures is difficult

Characteristics of Etic Approach

Enables cross-cultural comparison

Requires identification of universal phenomenon that will serve as comparative criteria

Which approach to research would study a culture bound disorder?

emic

Karoshi (Japan)

a condition associated with extreme work overload in Japan, sometimes resulting in death

Aim of Hofstese, 1973

Identify dimensions underlying cultural differences in values, attitudes and behavior

Conclusion of Hofstede, 1973

There are distinct cultural dimensions and these dimensions cna be quantified and compared

Six dimensions of Hofstede

Individualism vs. collectivism

Power distance index (PDI)

Masculinity and Femininity

Uncertainty avoidance index

Long-term vs. short term orientation

Indulgence vs. restraint

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Theory focusing on the relationship between the individual and his or her fellows. In individualistic societies, the ties between individuals are loose and individual achievement is highly valued. In societies where collectivism is emphasized, ties between individuals are tight, people are born into collectives, such as extended families, and everyone is supposed to look after the interests of his or her collective.

Power Distance Index (PDI)

This dimension expresses the degree to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. The fundamental issue here is how a society handles inequalities among people. People in societies exhibiting a large degree of Power Distance accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. In societies with low Power Distance, people strive to equalise the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power.

masculinity-femininity index

An index comparing countries' norms on empathy for successful achievers versus the unfortunate, preference for being better than others versus being on a par with them, belief that it's better "to live to work" versus "to work to live," preference for performance and growth versus quality of life and the environment, and belief that gender roles should be different versus similar.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)

measures the tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity among members of a society

long term vs short term orientation

The theory of the extent to which a culture programs its citizens to accept delayed gratification of their material, social, and emotional needs. It captures attitudes toward time, persistence, ordering by status, protection of face, respect for tradition, and reciprocation of gifts and favors.

Indulgence vs. Restraint (IND)

Indulgence stands for a society that allows relatively free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun. Restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and regulates it by means of strict social norms.

Asch's theory of conformity

Normative Social Influence

normative social influence

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Asch's Line Test

Experiment in which the experimenter has a group of college students in one room match lines of the same length with each other. There is one experimentee and 3 other confederates, or people in on the experiment. The results found that the experimentee was conforming with the others and saying the wrong answer even though he knew the right one

conclusion of Berry and Katz, 1967

conformity to group norms is ingrained as a cultural value

-Tenme value tight social relations

-Collectivism emphasizes the group over the individual

Research approach in Berry and Katz, 1967

etic

How was data collected in Berry and Katz, 1967

Asch line test

conclusion of Crandall, 1988

more bulimic her friends were, the more bulimic she was likely to be

Which cultural dimension is studied by Berry and Katz, 1967

individualism and collectivism

Which cultural dimension is studied by Eylon and Au, 1999

power distance (PDI)

Conclusion of Eylon and Au, 1999

PDI impacts the workplace performance but not satisfaction

Aim of Finkelstein, 2010

To examine the effect of culture on volunteer behavior; specifically, collectivism and individualism

Which cultural dimension was studied by Finkelstein, 2010

collectivism and individualism

Conclusion of Finkelstein, 2010

individualists and collectivists differ in why they choose to volunteer but not in the willingness to volunteer itself

How is Personality is Connected to the Dimensions?

- Personality is strongly correlated with cultural dimensions

- Too much emphasis on the group leads to ecological fallacy

ecological fallacy

assumes that a generalized cultural value applies equally well to all members of the culture

What does the five factor model show us about cultural dimensions?

There is a relationship between the Five Factor Model and different dimension scores

vertical individualism

cultural orientation in which an autonomous self is valued and the self is seen as different from and perhaps unequal to others

vertical collectivism

a collectivist culture in which there are status differences between members

horizontal individualism

an individualist culture in which people are relatively equal in status

horizontal collectivism

a collectivist culture in which people are relatively equal in status

who believed there were different types of individualism and collectivism

Triandis

Who developed the theory of basic values?

Schwartz

What are the four overarching groups in The Basic Value theory?

- openness to new experience

- self-enhancement

- conservation

- self-transcendence

What is the SVS?

Schwartz Value Survey

Neuroticism

degree of emotional instability or stability

Extraversion

A personality dimension describing someone who is sociable, gregarious, and assertive

openness to experience

tendency to be original, have broad interests, be open to a wide range of stimuli, be daring and take risks

aggreeableness

how trusting, good-natured, cooperative, and soft-hearted one is

Conscientiousness

A personality dimension that describes someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized

The five personality traits in the OCEAN model

- neuroticism

- extraversion

- openness

- agreeableness

- conscientiousness

Which cultural dimension is associated with the cockpit theory of plane crashes?

Power Distance Index (PDI)

Conclusion of Hsu and Barker, 2013

Advertisements aimed at the younger, Chinese were more individualistic and this may be an example of Globalization

Meeuwesen, van den Brink-Muinen and Hofstede research conclusions

Those with a high PDI shared less information with their doctor and the conversation was often one-sided(doctor speaking to the patient)