10/24/19; Week 6: Response to “Individualism vs. Collectivism”

Source: http://www.foresightguide.com/cultures-of-china-and-the-usa-implications-for-global-leadership/

Today I studied about Individualistic and Collectivist cultures. In a society oriented to individualism, for instance the United States, people are encouraged to be independent.  Children have freedom to express themselves.  As youth enter adulthood, they expect and are expected to make decisions about their own lives.  There is great emphasis on self-sufficiency, self-determination, self-competence, self-responsibility.  There is more competition.   People are more likely to blame themselves and feel shame or guilt if they don’t meet expect.  Knowledge is freely available to anyone who wants it.  People should take care of their own needs and only turn to their families as a last resource.  

Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-individualistic-cultures-2795273

On the other hand, in a collectivist culture like Asia countries, people are encouraged to be interdependent.  Children are rarely allowed to do their own thing without the consent of their parents.  There is emphasis of group-oriented values, togetherness and harmony.  There is more cooperation.  People are more likely to feel shame or guilt if their behavior is judged to being disgrace on the group.  People of high social status holds knowledge that is transmitted orally to people who have passed ceremonial milestones or belong to a restricted group.  Family members may desire or feel obligated to care for relatives in need.  Accepting help may be viewed as evading family responsibilities.

In 2014, here in Brazil, we had a great demonstration of how a collectivism culture has responsibility for everyone.  Brazil was holding the World Cup.  After a soccer match, Japanese supporters were filmed cleaning the stadium.  Brazilians were astonished because we have never seen such attitude.  Many TV programs talked about it.  It was a great example to us and now I realize that it is part of their group-oriented culture.    

                           Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-2794962

We also read a very interesting article about positives and negatives in the real world of these two cultures or the myth of Chinese schools.  According to Yong Zhao, Chinas has the best and the worst education system in the world.  It is the best because it produces the highest test scores.  However, it sacrifices creativity, divergent thinking, originality and intrinsic motivation. 

These studies made me think about my role as a teacher and as a mother.  It made me think about what kind of education I want to provide for my son and for my students.  As a mother and teacher, I will do my best to promote cooperation, group unity and harmony as well as creativity, curiosity, social-emotional development and intrinsic motivation.  

Sources:

 https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Individualism+vs+Collectivism/0_ojon0rjc

http://www.ncset.org/publications/essentialtools/diversity/partIII.asp

http://www.redeseducacion.net/articulos/Informes/The%20Myth%20of%20Chinese%20Super%20Schools.pdf