Examine+the+role+of+of+two+cultural+dimensions+on+behavior

__**Examine the role of of two cultural dimensions on behavior** __
 * ====__Terms__==== || ====__Definition__==== ||
 * Dimensions || The perspectives of a culture based on values and cultural norms. ||
 * Individualism || Societies in which the ties between individuals are loose. ||
 * Collectivism || Societies in which the individuals are integrated in strong,cohesive in-groups. ||
 * Uncertainty || Culture in which its members feel comfortable in unstructured situations ||
 * Avoidance || Culture in which its members feel uncomfortable in unstructured situations ||
 * Confucian Work Dynamism || Argument by Bond (1988) - Cultures which focus on virtue instead of focusing on truth. ||
 * Ecological Fallacy || Warning by Hoefstede - When one looks at two different cultures, it should not be assumed that two members form two different cultures must be different from one another, or that a single member of a culture will always demonstrate the dimensions which are the norm of that culture. ||
 * Proxemic Theory || Anthropologist, Edward T. Hall (1966) - based on a culture's need for "personal space." ||

**Individualist vs. Collectivist**
 * = ===Individualist Societies=== ||= ===Collectivist Societies=== ||
 * = Ties between individuals are loose ||= From birth onwards, people are integrated into strong cohesive in-groups ||
 * = Expected to look after himself/herself and his/her immediate family ||= Often provided with support and protection from extended family (with uncles, aunts, and grandparents) ||

-Characterizing the difference between US and Japanese Culture-

"In America, the squeaky wheel gets the grease; in Japan, the nail that stands out gets pounded down."

Conclusion:
Perceiving a boundary between the individual and the social environment is distinctly western in its cultural orientation, and that non-western cultures then towards //connectedness//.

**Uncertainty vs. Avoidance**

Along with cultural norms, dimensions, which are perspectives of a culture based on values and cultural norms, is a component of culture. The term “dimensions” was coined by Hoefstede from the trends he noticed in his classic study (1973) in which he asked employees of multinational companies from the 40 most represented countries to fill in surveys about morale in the workplace. One dimension is individualism, which promotes uniqueness and independence, versus collectivism, which values conformity and strong, cohesive in-groups. Another dimension is uncertainty versus avoidance, which deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity and indicates to what extent a culture programmes its members to feel either uncomfortable of comfortable in unstructured situations. Both of these cultural dimensions influence how individuals in different societies will behave.

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