Is there really such a thing as individualistic and collectivist societies in the world?

Question

I keep hearing these terms but googling just provides vague generalizations making me believe there’s barely a divide between these two.

Can someone explain the core of the matter please?

Like, why would east Asian countries NOT be individualistic?

In: 7

Answer 1

Those two terms are theoretical extremes and all real societies would fall somewhere in-between. It’s all just a question of how much the society favors the group verse the individual. A more collectivist society would have less individual rights than an individualistic one would and would instead encourage people to prioritize the group as a whole.