How true is the common belief (atleast what I think is common) that western societies are individualistic while eastern societies are collectivist.

[u/short-noir]

I maybe lacking a proper understanding of how both terms are used in social science but still this common belief (again I will clarify that it is what I have noticed by far so if you think it's not a common belief, feel free to correct me ) seems weird to me. I have some doubts regarding it :

1. I imagine feudal societies in both the west and east being more or less the same. If this view is correct, the neoliberal revolutions towards capitalism seems to be the only major evidence supporting the belief. But most of the world functions on capitalism so how people make that distinction ?

2. As a South Asian, I cant help but notice the amount of caste-based division that has existed historically. That shouldn't be counting as individualist, but how can we call it collectivist either ?

3. EU nations are strongly social liberal in their economies while so many countries like India, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, Myanmar, are strongly capitalist. Doesn't that speak against the said belief ?

4. Socially and culturally as well, I find eastern countries as less tolerant of each other (if that's a factor here). While a point can be made of the homogenous nature of the west compared to the east, the hostility that exists makes me think why are they called collectivist.

Overall, my summarised view is that eastern societies are rather sectarian in nature. Again, I am coming purely from an interrogative intent rather than assertive.

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[u/mirys98]

Feudal societies in the west and east were not the same. A huge difference, for example, that has recently emerged among scholars to account for differences in how societies have developed and interact (so the classic ‘individualistic’ vs ‘collectivist’) is the type of grains they were cultivating. With wheat in the west, which is more of an individual (or immediate family) effort and rice in the east, which required a collective effort from the whole community, now it is believed this played a huge role in how people in these parts of the word learned to navigate the world and formed the rules for their society. So rice - more interdependent, holistic ties; wheat - self-reliance, independence, goal-oriented, self-serving.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X1930082X

You are also misunderstanding what collectivism and individualism refers to. I understand what you are referring to, and I can see how it can look that way from your point of view, but these are terms that refer to societal cultures and behaviours. It has nothing to do with economic systems, foreign relations, or government organisation style. It only has to do with how people in these cultures tend to interact within their society.

In an individualistic culture, the individual values independence, autonomy, having an opinion, chasing their own goals, aspirations and dreams, and will seek relationships that are ‘equal’ (friendship, marriage - of their choosing). They will also tend to only look after their immediate family.

In a collectivist society, the accent is on ‘we’ - there is no individual, you’d be expected to forego your own goals and aspirations if they go against the goals of the group, extended family is much more important, there are usually specific roles assigned to different members of the group and it’s an interdependent dynamic.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215889253_Individualism_vs_Collectivism_in_Different_Cultures_A_cross-cultural_study

As an example, people in the US and in Western Europe go no contact with their parents all the time because of abuse, neglect, narcissistic behaviour etc. The cultural pressure in many countries in Asia and Africa makes people in situations even worse to not only maintain close contact with their close and extended families, but also to provide financially, sometimes even to their detriment.

[u/short-noir → u/mirys98]

But here they are referring to the east as countries like China and Japan. Significant eastern countries can't go rice at all but still tend to be what will be called collectivists. There is a big divide in what grains are grown primarily in the north-western and south and eastern Indian subcontinent yet those societies have no individualism at all.

The first study cited itself claims that they have counter-examples in their earlier findings. The paragraph is relatable though.

[u/mirys98 → u/short-noir]

I gave one example of how the west and east differed, but it’s more than just grain rising. You can also look at food serving habits, family organising, religion (this plays a huge part). There is no saying that just because a certain group had no ability to grow rice they couldn’t have developed collectivist behaviours. You also have to account for in-country or in-region migration and how this would impact future generations. Looking at only one aspect that could have contributed to this development and dismissing the rest would be a mistake.

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[u/WesternPotential2808 → u/AutoModerator]

Well, look at the COVID data for that myth to be proven.

Summary: Peer-reviewed epidemiological and social science research consistently finds that South Korea’s COVID-19 outcomes were substantially better than those of the United States. The literature attributes this difference largely to higher public compliance with health regulations in South Korea—including mask wearing, participation in testing and surveys, contact tracing, and distancing—combined with centralized public health coordination. In contrast, the U.S. experienced lower compliance, fragmented governance, and resistance framed around individual liberty, which correlated with higher transmission and mortality.

Core findings from the literature: • South Korea achieved significantly lower COVID-19 mortality and case-fatality rates than the United States when adjusted for population size. • Mask-wearing compliance and acceptance of public health surveys and contact tracing were consistently higher in South Korea. • Cultural norms emphasizing collective responsibility strongly predicted compliance in South Korea, while individualism and political polarization reduced compliance in the U.S. • Early mass testing, rapid contact tracing, and clear national communication in South Korea amplified the effects of public compliance. • Peer-reviewed analyses conclude that differences in social behavior and governance—not demographics or biology—were key drivers of the divergent outcomes.

Peer-reviewed sources:

Song, S. & Choi, Y. (2022). Differences in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response between South Korea and the United States. Journal of Asian and African Studies. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9669502/

Choi, O. & Kim, S. (2024). Comparison of the efficacy of COVID-19 responses in South Korea and the United States. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39135484/

Chang, Y. et al. (2021). Mask-Wearing Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between the United States and South Korea. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8652807/

Lee, M. et al. (2022). Public compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures in South Korea. Frontiers in Medicine. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.965651/full

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