Are You an Individualist or a Collectivist?
Standing on your own or belonging to a group - and whether you see life as a ladder or a table
The usual question - do you put yourself or the group first? - turns out to be half the story. The cross-cultural psychologist Harry Triandis added a second one: do you see people as equals, or arranged in a hierarchy? The answers give four different orientations. A self-reliant craftsman and an ambitious salesperson are both individualists, and a member of a housing cooperative and a dutiful eldest son are both collectivists, yet each pair has very little in common.
Before you start There are no right answers. Pick what is usually true for you, not what sounds best.
Answer about how you actually think and act, not about the culture you grew up in or what is expected where you live.
What it measures
The four orientations described by Triandis and colleagues: horizontal individualism (independent among equals), vertical individualism (independent and wanting to be the best), horizontal collectivism (belonging to a group of equals) and vertical collectivism (duty to the group and respect for its hierarchy). These are your personal orientations, not your country's culture. It differs from the site's personal values test, based on Schwartz's model, and from the competitiveness test, which covers only one of the four.
Based on: Horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk & Gelfand, 1995; Triandis & Gelfand, 1998)
Possible results
Horizontal individualism
Being your own person, without needing to be above anyone.
Vertical individualism
Wanting to stand out, win and move up.
Horizontal collectivism
Belonging to a group of equals and sharing the load.
Vertical collectivism
Duty to family and group, and respect for its order.
Common questions
Is individualism the same as selfishness?
No. In this research individualism means seeing yourself as an independent person whose own goals and choices matter, not being indifferent to others. A strongly horizontal individualist can be generous and fair while still insisting on running their own life. Selfishness is a separate matter of how you treat people.
Does my result reflect my country's culture?
Only loosely. Countries differ on average, but the differences between people within one country are large, and the four orientations were found both in the United States and in Korea. Your family, your job and the city you live in shape your answers as much as your nationality does.
Can someone be both individualist and collectivist?
Yes, and it is common. The four orientations are measured separately, so a person can be fiercely independent at work and deeply dutiful towards their parents. Triandis himself argued that everyone carries all four to some degree and that situations bring different ones forward.
Sources
- Singelis, T. M., Triandis, H. C., Bhawuk, D. P. S., & Gelfand, M. J. (1995). Horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism: A theoretical and measurement refinement. Cross-Cultural Research. doi:10.1177/106939719502900302
- Triandis, H. C., & Gelfand, M. J. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.1.118
An honest note The statements are Quinthea's own wording, adapted from the scale by Singelis, Triandis and colleagues, so your scores cannot be compared with the published norms. Each published subscale has only a handful of items, and researchers still debate how well individual questionnaires capture something as broad as culture. Your answers may also shift depending on whether you picture family, friends or work. No profile here is better than another.