Collectivism

The term collectivism generally refers to cultures that give priority to group goals when those goals come into conflict with individual goals. A person's identity is defined in terms of group attributes and achievements as opposed to personal attributes and achievements. Collectivism is often equated with interdependence. Generally speaking, collectivism is associated with countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and the Pacific Islands. Because collectivism is the norm in countries where psychology is not a dominant field of study, we will examine collectivism in more depth here than we have examined individualism elsewhere in this encyclopedia.

One of the most respected researchers in this area is Harry Triandis. His book Individualism and Collectivism is a seminal work that summarizes a great deal of research ...