Collectivism, Effects On Relationships : Encyclopedia of Human Relationships

Collectivism is a cultural syndrome, a network of norms, values, and ways of engaging the world embedded in practices, artifacts, institutions, language use and structure, and ways of making sense of history. A central theme of collectivism as a cultural syndrome is that relationships with relevant others and group memberships constitute the primary unit of society, the foundation of self-concept, and the key values that should govern one's life. Social units that share a common fate are centrally important from a collectivistic world-view, which highlights interdependence among ingroup members and relevant values, such as loyalty and perseverance. These social units can be broadly defined as groups with which a real or symbolic blood tie exists (families, tribes, races/ ethnicities, religions, nations, peoples) as well as, in some situations, civic (neigh borhood or community) or other working groups.