Examine the role of two cultural dimensions on behavior (for example,
individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, Confucian
dynamism, masculinity/femininity).
Cultural dimensions or cross-cultural communications are psychological
dimension, or values that apply to specific cultures that were thought of by Dutch
psychologist Greet Hofstede There are many roles in which people can describe
cultural dimensions on behavior, which includes things such as the theme of
“society vs. me”, which is comparing the individual’s wish, and the total gain of
society as a whole or how in many countries around the world ordinary people
usually subject to power without raising a hand or an opinion. This essay is going to
be talking about 2 of the roles, one being in the theme of Individualism/ Collectivism
and another being power distance.
The first cultural dimension on behavior that is going to be explained in this
essay is Individualism vs. Collectivism. Individualism and Collectivism (IDV) can be
described into 2 sides the high side of this dimension, called individualism, can be
defined as a the individual mindset of a person and the desire of the person, for
example wanting a new car or wanting to protect themselves and their intimate
family acting more like an individual. On the other hand of the spectrum lies
collectivism, which represents the society’s needs like how people can expect their
relatives or friends to look after them without second thought and act more like a
“we” unit. This correlates to behavior because of the fact that the desire of each
person is different therefore the people’s mindset differs. For example, a person
protects their family and friends by themselves and classifying themselves as “I” and
on the other hand people classify themselves as “we” to work together on the
subject.
The other cultural dimension that is going to be explained is power distance
(PDI). Power distance in simple words is the extent to which the less powerful
expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. The scale of power distance
can be determined by country to country Low power distance meaning that the
country are more democratic and high power distance meaning the country is more
autocratic. This relates to the topic of behavior because although people want
equality it is impossible to satisfy everyone and achieve that equilibrium, and
because of this they will strive and change their behavior for their respective goals
constantly.
In conclusion, the cultural dimensions explain a lot about the world around
us even without speaking out loud. Different people from various cultures classify
themselves as “I” or “We” from their language and learning of the past. The extent of
subjection to power can also be used to change one’s behavior and make them strive
for the better.