Social interactions are influenced by the exchange between an individual’s cultural inclinations, be they horizontal or vertical individualism and collectivism, their inherent traits, and the surrounding context.
One pivotal trait at the center of this dynamic is the individual’s Social Value Orientation (SVO).
SVO represents a person’s general predisposition towards competition (proself) or cooperation (prosocial) in the realm of social exchanges.
This study, encompassing 1032 participants, explores the relationship between SVO and an individual’s personal cultural tendencies of horizontal/vertical individualism and collectivism, within the backdrop of two distinct cultural settings: the United States, characterized as a vertical individualist setting, and South Korea, marked by its vertical collectivistic backdrop.
The researchers’ hypotheses centered on the alignment between an individual’s value orientation and their corresponding personal cultural tendencies, accounting for the cultural setting.
They posited that each value orientation would correspond with the congruent personal cultural tendency in a given setting, and this association would be context-specific, with SVO playing a more prominent role in settings where cultural themes were less dominant.
Let The Games Begin
A decomposed games measure identified whether individual participants were prosocial, individualistic, or competitive.
The behavioral measure consists of nine “games” through which this assignment is made.
The study also measured the participant’s inclination toward horizontal/vertical individualism and collectivism.
For example, participants were asked to rate their feelings about statements like “I enjoy being unique and different from others in many ways” (horizontal individualism) or “I enjoy working in situations involving competition with others” (vertical individualism).
Likewise, they rated prosocial statements like “The well-being of my co-workers is important to me” (horizontal collectivism) and “I would do what would please my family, even if I detested that activity” (vertical collectivism).
After collecting data from these games and questionnaires, this is what the study found.
The Findings
The findings highlighted intriguing patterns.
Across both settings, proself individuals exhibited a stronger endorsement of vertical individualistic values, while prosocial individuals leaned more towards horizontal collectivistic values.
However, the influence of SVO diverged across the two cultural contexts.
In the United States, prosocial individuals exhibited a more robust inclination towards horizontal collectivism compared to their proself counterparts.
In contrast, in the South Korean context, prosocial individuals displayed a lesser affinity for horizontal individualism.
These outcomes bear significant theoretical implications and open avenues for further exploration.
What This Means
Delving deeper into these revelations makes it more apparent that individuals are not solely products of their cultural inclinations or personal traits; rather, it is the dynamic give-and-take of these factors that ultimately shapes their social interactions.
The results of this study underscore the coaction of cultural tendencies, dispositional traits, and context in shaping social behavior.
They also highlight the significance of context-specific considerations in understanding the nuances of human behavior, emphasizing the need for a more holistic and multifaceted approach to comprehend the exchange of cultural influences, personal traits, and context in shaping our interactions.
Success Across Cultures 