The constructs individualism and collectivism have been exten sively researched and written about by cross-cultural psychologists
and seem to be widely accepted as important bases for explaining
differences in behavior between people of diverse cultures. However,
existing research evidence seems to raise questions about some
specific characteristics identified as typical of individualist or collectivist behavior. Therefore, a study was undertaken to reexamine
some aspects of these constructs. As fitting emic-type studies, the
study was based on just two cultures, Australian and Sri Lankan,
each representing one of these dimensions. The results distinguish
broadly between individualist and collectivist orientation and confirm earlier evidence that self-reliance, long considered to be
uniquely individualist, is an important attribute among collectivist
cultures also. Clarity in conceptualization and refinement of measurement is suggested.
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