Individualistic and Collectivist societies differ in any number of ways, and the degree to which a culture embodies either characteristic varies from region to region. This article looks inward and examines how just one facet of identity, self-esteem, is shaped by surrounding social attitudes. 

            Self-esteem refers to how a person feels about themselves. It can be based on their abilities, perceptions of how others view them, and the degree to which they have achieved self-actualization. High self-esteem is vital to maintaining mental and physical health as well as motivation, while low self-esteem is linked to depressive disorders and unhealthy habits. The Cultural Trade-Off hypothesis posits that the two aspects of global self-esteem, self-liking and self-competence, are inversely related for collectivist and individualistic cultures. In collectivist cultures, people tend to have a greater assessment of self-liking and a lesser sense of self-competence, while in individualistic cultures, people like themselves less but perceive themselves to have higher self-efficacy.

            Western cultures are typically more individualistic, while societies in Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America tend to be more collectivist. The surrounding culture impacts self-esteem by altering how people form identities and beliefs. People in collectivist cultures are more likely to define themselves in relation to the group and value maintaining social harmony. As a direct result, people in collectivist cultures experience more unstable self-esteem that fluctuates based on how others perceive them. They often compare themselves to others who are doing well in order to initiate personal improvement and growth. On the contrary, in Western societies self-esteem often hinges on individual success and competing with others to fulfill ambitions. Rather than make upward comparisons, people in individualistic cultures are more likely to compare themselves against others “below them” to reaffirm their sense of superiority and accomplishment. The Self-Serving Bias, wherein people take pride and credit for their successes but chalk up failures to external circumstances, is more prevalent in individualistic societies. Due to these differences in perception, people in Western societies generally have higher confidence and personal self-esteem. Indeed, several studies have shown that moving from collectivist to individualistic countries can effectively enhance self-esteem. 

 

References

American Psychological Association. (2023, November 15). APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. https://dictionary.apa.org/self-esteem 

Konrath, S. (2012, in press) Self-esteem, culturally defined. In Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness: An A-to-Z Guide, Sage Reference. 

Myers, D. G. (2012). Chapter 2: The Self in a Social World. In Social Psychology (11th ed., pp. 31–74). McGraw-Hill. 

Rosen, D. (2018, May 22). What exactly is self-esteem?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/health-20/201805/what-exactly-is-self-esteem 

Tafarodi, R. W., & Swann, W. B. (1996). Individualism-Collectivism and Global Self-Esteem: Evidence for a Cultural Trade-Off. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 27(6), 651-672. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022196276001