Individual and Group

Culture is a characteristic of a group but a group consists of individuals. For this reason the relation between individual and group is a recurrent theme in many studies of culture. An individual may also be perceived as the unique combination of cultures of every group s/he has ever been a member of (see triangle model in Culture 1). From this perspective the distinction between individual and group is not a dichotomy but rather a continuum.

Pinto takes the relation between individual and group as the basis of his theories on culture (mentioned in Culture 1 and discussed on the next page). In a group oriented or collective society the individual person is subordinated to the group and the group determines every aspect of life. In individualistic societies the individual person aims at reaching his or her own ends and uses all and everybody in doing so. However, culture is wider than this dimension, nor is it the only determining factor.

Hofstede discusses the dilemma indivudalism - collectivism. Trompenaars uses five dilemmas for it (specific-diffuse, affective-neutral, achievement-ascription, individual-group, universalism-particularism). Solomon and Schell illustrate the idea with three dimensions (personal – transactional, egalitarianism – hierarchy, individual and group).

Example

A country as the Netherlands is considered to be an individualistic country (in different degrees according to the authors mentioned) and indeed, individualism is stronger than collectivism. This is in line with the Dutch mercantile tradition and its modern economy. However, the Dutch want to eat their cake and have it too. They want the protection of the group as well as the freedom to express themselves about any possible topic in any possible way.