The individualism-collectivism dimension can provide us with a more in-depth understanding of why members of two diverse cultures approach verbal and non-verbal communication differently. Power-distance, as a value dimension, influences our expectation of how we should be treated and how we treat others. .
Basically, individualism refers to the value tendencies of people in a culture to emphasize the individuals" identity over group identity and individual rights over group obligations. In contrast, collectivism refers to the value tendencies of people in a culture to emphasize the group identity over individual identity and to put group concerns over individual concerns. .
Individualism is expressed in interpersonal communication through the strong assertion of personal opinions, the display of personal emotions and the importance of personal accountability for any problems that might occur. Collectivism is the complete opposite. It is marked by the representation of collective opinions or ideas, and the restraint of personal and emotional expressions along with the protection of group members, sometimes at all costs. .
In intercultural research, British, French, German, Scandinavian, Swiss, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and the US cultures have been identified as cultures high in individualistic value tendencies. In contrast many East Asian, Southeast Asian, Mediterranean, Latino, Middle Eastern and African cultures can be clearly identified as collectivism cultures. Nevertheless, we also find both individualistic and collectivistic elements in all of these cultures. In most of these cultures we can find within-culture difference. Different ethnic communities can also display distinctive individualistic and collectivistic tendencies for example ethnic groups like African/Americans tend to subscribe to some forms of collectivistic values more than lets say, European/Americans.
