All individualistic cultures are not the same; not all collective contexts are the same. We know that. But what makes them different?

I have written extensively on individualism and collectivism, but I have never highlighted a critical cultural dynamic long studied by social psychologists. They commonly distinguish two types of individualism (and two types of collectivism).

So in this article I summarize

• Horizontal individualism (HI)
• Vertical individualism (VI)
• Horizontal Collectivism (HC)
• Vertical Collectivism (VC)

In the next article, I’ll explore how these categories affect both our understanding of the honor-shame dynamic and our approach to ministry.

Explain our conditions

Many know the differences between individualism and collectivism. (For example, here and here). So why add another set of terms?

In short, the researchers discovered another set of dynamics at work that constantly scrambled the data. For example, depending on the questions we ask, one culture will appear more individualistic than a second culture; yet, if you change the question, this second culture will suddenly appear to be the more individualistic of the two cultures.

While individualism and collectivism are about identity in relation to others, horizontal and vertical orientations respectively emphasize equality or hierarchy (status). Too large blows,

• Individualism = values ​​of independence
• Collectivism = interdependence of values
• “Horizontal” = emphasizes equality
• “Vertical” = hierarchy of constraints (status)

What happens when these aspects are aligned? We see a richer picture of cultures. The table below summarizes the main characteristics of four cultural profiles.

Every cultural perspective has its positives and negatives. For example, VI promotes creativity but also stress and workaholism. While HIs are freer from group constraints, they are prone to becoming socially isolated. According to the experts in this research, the table below classifies several countries by type.

Of course, these categories reflect general patterns of thought and behavior. Individuals change their orientation depending on the situation and the relationship (although the culture at large continues to influence them). For example,

One can have an individualistic orientation when interacting with co-workers or colleagues, but tend to be collectivist when contacting family members. Specifically, individuals who place more importance on work tend to be more individualistic, while individuals who place more emphasis on family and friends tend to be more collectivist.[1]

Likewise, individualism is linked to upper social class, urban areas and younger generations.

The practical implications

Researchers have identified a range of interesting and practical correlations. For example, horizontal and vertical collectivism “positively predicted social distancing intentions.[2] Additionally, “Vertical individualists (but not collectivists) appear to be affected by the conspiracy theories circulating about COVID-19. “[3] Unsurprisingly, “individualism was positively – and collectivism was negatively – linked to feelings of powerlessness in the face of climate change.[4]

Some of my favorite studies to read were about how advertisers tailor their marketing strategies to get customers oriented vertically or horizontally.

The advertisements in the three VC companies (Korea, Russia, Poland) and the VI company (USA) emphasized the status benefits more than the advertisements in the HI company (Denmark). Indeed, status seemed to be a dominant advertising theme (relating to calls emphasizing pleasure, uniqueness or relationships) in all vertical companies we looked at. On the other hand, calls for pleasure dominate in HI society …

The emphasis on uniqueness of advertising calls—Including representations of differentiation, self-expression, autonomy and novelty—was higher in HI cultures than VI (and VC). These types of calls define the product as a form of self-expression, appropriate in cultural contexts that emphasize being distinct and self-sufficient (rather than better than others).[5]

This article can only highlight results selected from a large amount of related literature. I just want to familiarize you with these categories for the next article, where I will speculate on the potential implications for ministry from the standpoint of honor and shame.

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[1] Nguyen Huu An. “Variations of Individualism and Collectivism within Individuals: The Effects of Value Orientations Toward Family, Friends, and Work.” Journal of social and human sciences. Vol 4, No 2 (2018): 195-210.

[2] Mikey Biddleston, Ricky Green and Karen Douglas. “Cultural orientation, power, belief in conspiracy theories and intentions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. ” British Journal of Social Psychology (2020).

[3] Same.

[4] Xiang, P., Zhang, H., Geng, L., Zhou, K., & Wu, Y. “Individualist-Collectivist Differences in Climate Change Inaction: The Role of Perceived Intransigence. ” Frontiers in Psychology 10, no. 187 (2019): 1-12.

[5] Sharon Shavitt, Timothy P. Johnson and Jing Zhang. “Horizontal and vertical cultural differences in the content of advertising calls. ” Journal of International Consumer Marketing 23, no. 3-4 (2011): 297-310.