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Leslie Burton
The present study evaluated the relationship between dimensions of individualism/collectivism and self observation tendencies in an American sample of 86 university students. Although the United States is generally an individualist culture there is a great deal of variation within American society in terms of the amount of embeddedness in social groups. Collectivism was strongly associated with self observation. Horizontal collectivism was significantly associated with both private and social/public self observation. Vertical collectivism was significantly associated with social/public self observation and there was a trend for it to be related to private self observation. In contrast, although vertical individualism was related to social/public self observation, there were no significant relationships between vertical individualism and private self observation, or horizontal individualism and private self observation or social/public self observation. These findings are consistent with cross cultural patterns in individualist and collectivist societies. Greater self observation would aid an understanding of one’s own thinking and behavior and how one is responded to by other group members, as well as of one’s place in the status hierarchy of the group. These are all important factors in group functioning/collectivism
