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The Cultural Dimension of Collectivism–Individualism and Empathy in Different Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Cross-cultural psychology and anthropology have many ways of studying human cultures in all their diversity. There are multiple theories of cultural dimensions which provide a foundation for understanding how a culture of a given society influences individual values within it and how these values shape individual behavior. The chapter presents several examples of such classifications but primarily focuses on “collectivism-individualism” dimension suggested by Hofstede, which in many ways parallels the homoarchy-heterarchy continuum. The differences between collectivist and individualist cultures manifest in many ways and can explain the differences in behavior in the conditions of global stress. In this case, the authors present an analysis of collective and individual behavior in various countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, summarizing the results on their own research and other authors’ work on connections between prosocial behavior and the level of cultural collectivism. Prosocial behavior (altruism, cooperation, empathy, mutual assistance) helps alleviate stress and ensures better compliance with prophylactic measures but also makes individuals more susceptible to stress-related symptoms, such as empathy fatigue and burnout. Countries with more collectivist cultures, despite adherence to traditional values and despite being less susceptible to new products and technologies, seem to handle pandemic-related anxiety better. The prosocial behavior benefits associated with a higher degree of collectivity, they follow prophylactic and vaccination guidelines significantly better. The higher collectivism index signifies a higher priority put on collective good and better cooperation is undoubtedly an adaptive strategy in the pandemic situation. Cultural indices, which trace and systematize cultural universals and cultural differences, are a useful tool that allows researchers to determine which norms and behavior patterns in different societies help them adapt to global stresses better.
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