1. Individualism/Collectivism in 10 minutes
Geert Hofstede
August 2014

2. Origin of the terms “individualism” and “collectivism”
Both terms were used in the 19th century for political ideologies, strongly value-laden
In a 1920s publication they were presented as opposites
In the 1960s “individualism” emerged also in personality psychology, “collectivism” did not
Hofstede chose “individualism versus collectivism” as a dimension of differences between national societies, already described under different names by sociologists

3. Individualism/Collectivism as a societal culture dimension
Individualism: A society in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after self and immediate family only
Collectivism: A society in which individuals from birth onwards are part of strong in-groups

4. Individualist societies
Collectivist societies
“We” identity
Exclusionism: others classified as in- or outgroup
Competition between “tribes”
Relations before task
High-context communication (many things are obvious)
In-group harmony must be maintained
Individualist societies
“I” identity
Universalism: others classified as individuals
Competition between individuals
Task before relations
Low-context communication (everything must be specified)
Confrontations can be healthy

5. Measuring the position of a society on the Ind/Col dimension
A society’s position between individualism and collectivism can only be measured relative to other societies
This position is expressed in an Individualism Index score (IDV)
IDV values have been plotted on a scale from 0 to 100; scores close to 0 stand for the most collectivist, scores close to 100 for the most individualist society

6. Some Individualism Index (IDV) scores, out of 76
High
91 USA
90 Australia
89 Britain
80 Netherlands
74 Denmark
71 France
67 Germany
Low
51 Spain
48 India
46 Japan
39 Russia
38 Arab ctrs
30 Mexico
20 China

7. Some examples of what these IDV scores correlate with
Collectivist societies
Lower per capita GNI (poorer)
Less press freedom
Human Rights less respected
Lower divorce rates
Older husbands, younger wives
Slower pace of life
Use of the word “I” avoided
Use of social media guided by in-group
Individualist societies
Higher per capita GNI (richer)
More press freedom
Human Rights more respected
Higher divorce rates
Smaller age differences between spouses
Faster pace of life
Frequent use of the word “I”
Active search in social media

8. Individualism versus Power Distance
The Power Distance and Individualism/Collectivism scores are negatively correlated: low PDI societies score more often individualist, more high PDI societies score collectivist
However, this is mainly an effect of national wealth or poverty: IDV is positively, PDI negatively correlated with wealth
If we compare rich with rich and poor with poor societies, the negative correlation between IDV and PDI almost disappears
So Hofstede treats these as two separate dimensions
In the USA, some authors distinguish “horizontal” and “vertical” individualism. This is a combination of IDV and PDI

9. Do IDV scores change over time ?
Like power distance values, individualism versus collectivism values are transferred from generation to generation
Research by Sjoerd Beugelsdijk comparing answers to the same questions by two successive generations 30 years apart shows a modest worldwide shift towards individualism
However, the position of countries relative to each other remained the same; and this is what the scores are based on
Like in the case of power distance, country differences expressed in the IDV scores tend to be rooted in history
So, these scores too can be assumed to be stable over time