A survey of 580 married adults found that collectivism is stronger in older groups and weaker among the more educated, and is unrelated to sex, type of marriage, or living with parents.
Collectivism and Its Relationship to Age, Education, Marriage, and Living Arrangement
집단주의와 나이, 교육, 결혼 및 주거 형태와의 관계
QUESTION
How is Korea’s traditional collectivistic tendency related to sex, age, education, type of marriage (love or arranged), and whether one lives with one’s parents?
FINDINGS
There was no difference between men and women in collectivistic tendency.
there was no significant sex difference in collectivistic tendencythere was no significant sex difference in collectivistic tendencyp1For both men and women, the older the age group, the more collectivistic.
for both men and women, the Older the group, the more collectivistic they werefor both men and women, the older the group, the more collectivistic they werep1Even after controlling for age, people with more education were less collectivistic than those with less.
the group with higher education had a weaker coliectivistic tendency than that Of lower educationthe group with higher education had a weaker collectivistic tendency than that of lower educationp9after control-ling for age inf)uencing the tendency Of c01-lectivism…after controlling for age, which influences the tendency of collectivismp9Whether one lives with one’s parents was unrelated to collectivistic tendency.
the decision 「표 living or not-living wiCh parents has nothing tO dO with the collectivistic tendencythe decision of living or not-living with parents has nothing to do with the collectivistic tendencyp9IN DAILY LIFE
In a love marriage, the couple first decide to marry and then ask their parents’ permission.
persons concerned decide first tO get married and then get the permission from their parentspersons concerned decide first to get married and then get the permission from their parentsp4Very few people preferred deciding on marriage by themselves without consulting their parents — which the authors took as a sign that collectivism is still maintained.
deciding marriage just by the persons-concerned without consulting the parentsdeciding marriage just by the persons-concerned without consulting the parentsp4without consulting the parents was only 3.4…without consulting the parents was only 3.4%p4can see that the coilectivistic tendency is still being maintained…one can see that the collectivistic tendency is still being maintained.p4In depth
This paper, more closely — every sentence carries an original quote and page number.
Background
Researchers of Korean social character have named collectivism one of the most distinctive features of Korean culture.
of the most distinctive characteristics of Kcrean culture…[collectivism is one] of the most distinctive characteristics of Korean culturep3the researchers that have studied the social char-acter of Koreans mention the strong coliectivistic tendency as the first characteristic…the researchers that have studied the social character of Koreans mention the strong collectivistic tendency as the first characteristic.p4Yet family and social life are changing fast — the traditional extended family is giving way to the couple-centered nuclear family — so the authors expected collectivism to differ by age and education.
The traditional large-family system is quickly deterioratingThe traditional large-family system is quickly deterioratingp4Korea is showing many changes ⅱ1 family life or social life…Korea is showing many changes in family life or social life.p4substituetd by the nuciear-family system centering…substituted by the nuclear-family system centering [on the husband and wife]p4the more education one has received the ycunger, the less coliectivistic tendency is expected…the more education one has received and the younger, the less collectivistic tendency is expected.p4Method
A survey carried out as part of the Pan Asia Family Study, in which 14 countries took part.
The present study was conducted as a part Of the Pan Asia FamiIy StudyThe present study was conducted as a part of the Pan Asia Family Studyp5in 1구hich 14,; countries are varticipating…in which 14 countries are participating.p5The present study investigated 580 married men and women between the age of 31 and 65The present study investigated 580 married men and women between the age of 31 and 65.p4EquaI number Of subjects were sampled for each age and sex groupEqual numbers of subjects were sampled for each age and sex group.p4consists Of thirteen ltems c,ollectivi&Ti and three items 0驢 marriage satisfactic,n, family \ife satisfaction, and life satisfaction…consists of thirteen items on collectivism and three items on marriage satisfaction, family life satisfaction, and life satisfaction.p5your agreement with each statement 이1 the 7 step agree-disagree…your agreement with each statement on the 7-step agree–disagree [continuum]p11of item #1-12 was used as the[The average score] of items #1–12 was used as the [score of collectivistic tendency]p5Data was co}lected frorn October lst, 1989 tillData was collected from October 1st, 1989 tillp5Deceff1ber 14th, 1989 by undergraduate and gradu•ate students Of psychologyDecember 14th, 1989 by undergraduate and graduate students of psychologyp5Detailed findings
All differences between age groups (31–40, 41–50, 51–65) were significant: the older the group, the more collectivistic.
the higher age group has a stronger tendency Of collectivismthe higher age group has a stronger tendency of collectivismp6levels, 31-40 years old, 41-50 years 이4 & 51-65[three] levels, 31–40 years old, 41–50 years old & 51–65p5show that differ-ences between all groups were significant…differences between all groups were significantp6Collectivism rose sharply around age forty for men and around fifty for women — ten years earlier for men.
the collectivistic tendency increased considerably i11 men preceded that of women by ten yearsthe [point where the] collectivistic tendency increased considerably in men preceded that of women by ten yearsp6around the age Of forty, and in case Of women, the degree Of collectivistic tendency changed sharply around the age of fifty…around the age of forty, and in case of women, the degree of collectivistic tendency changed sharply around the age of fifty.p6Within each age group, too, there was no sex difference.
there was not a sex difference in collectivistic ten- dency regard}ess Of agethere was not a sex difference in collectivistic tendency regardless of agep7Professional school (junior college) or above was the dividing line where collectivism dropped clearly.
professional school the boundary line where the collectivistic tendency decreased considerably[the level of] professional school [is] the boundary line where the collectivistic tendency decreased considerablyp7Even with age controlled, people in love marriages and arranged marriages did not differ in collectivism.
stili the co!lectivistic tendency did not differ by the type Of marriagestill the collectivistic tendency did not differ by the type of marriagep9the age variable was confrolled…the age variable was controlledp9Though the correlations were modest, more collectivistic people tended to be more satisfied with their marriage, family life, and life.
Though the correlations were not very high, these resu)ts showed that peopie with strcng tendency Of co!lectivism tend tO have high satisfactionThough the correlations were not very high, these results showed that people with strong tendency of collectivism tend to have high satisfactionp8The correlation coefficient Of family life satisfaction and collectivistic tendency was r=The correlation coefficient of family life satisfaction and collectivistic tendency was r=p8the stronger the collectivistic tendency, the more sai:isfied one is Of hiS /her marryage and life…the stronger the collectivistic tendency, the more satisfied one is of his/her marriage and lifep9But this held only for men; for women, none of the three satisfaction measures correlated significantly with collectivism.
for worrnen none Of the correlations was significantfor women none of the correlations was significantp9for men the correlations betweetil collectivistic tendency and marriage satisfacticn, family life satis-faction, and life satisfaction were all significant…for men the correlations between collectivistic tendency and marriage satisfaction, family life satisfaction, and life satisfaction were all significantp9Authors’ interpretation
The authors read this as meaning that, in today’s Korean education system, schooling up to high school pushes students toward traditional collectivism, while education beyond high school pushes the other way.
the education up tO high-school has an influence StudentS in tne direction (표 the traditional collectivism, but education higher than high-school level affects the students in the opposite directicnthe education up to high-school has an influence [on] students in the direction of the traditional collectivism, but education higher than high-school level affects the students in the opposite directionp9Whether a marriage is love or arranged seems to depend on one’s circumstances at the time of marriage, not on one’s collectivistic tendency.
the type (표 marriage is decided by the individual's situation at the time of marriage, nat by the collectivistic tendencythe type of marriage is decided by the individual’s situation at the time of marriage, not by the collectivistic tendencyp9They interpret the sex difference as showing that how well one’s values fit society’s mainstream values affects emotional satisfaction, and call for follow-up studies on why men and women differ.
the values Of the individua! agree with each otller affects the emo- tionas satisfaction[how much] the values of the individual agree with each other affects the emotional satisfactionp9how much the main stream values Of the society…how much the mainstream values of the society [and] the values of the individual…p9should be fol]ow-up studies tO find 이그t why such sex difference exists…[there] should be follow-up studies to find out why such sex difference exists.p9Limits the authors note
Because the study compared age groups at one point in time (cross-sectional), it cannot show that collectivism actually grows with age — only that age groups differ.
we cannot say that co}iectivistic tendency increases with agewe cannot say that collectivistic tendency increases with agep9But because 0년r study used a CfOSS-sec-tional methodBut because our study used a cross-sectional methodp9AII we know is that Lhere is a difference in ccllectivistic tendency among the different ageAll we know is that there is a difference in collectivistic tendency among the different age [groups].p9Key terms
Collectivism (Triandis’s definition) Putting the views and goals of one’s in-group above one’s own, and valuing social norms and duties set by the in-group over pleasure.
goals of the ingroup rather thari that of oneself, (b)social norms and duty defined by the ingroupgoals of the ingroup rather than that of oneself, (b) social norms and duty defined by the ingroupp2the views, and goals of the ingroup rather thari that of oneself…the views, and goals of the ingroup rather than that of oneselfp2Individualism (Triandis’s definition) Putting one’s own views, needs, and goals above others’, and valuing pleasure and personal enjoyment over norms or duties set by others.
pleasure, fun, personal enjoyment rather than on socia! norms or dutypleasure, fun, personal enjoyment rather than on social norms or dutyp2one's own Vlews, needs and goals rather than those of others…one's own views, needs and goals rather than those of othersp2Arranged marriage (jungmae gyeolhon, 중매결혼) Parents first choose a potential spouse for their child, and then the two people consult together on whether to marry.
parents first choose the potentiai spouse for their childrenparents first choose the potential spouse for their childrenp4and then the persons-to-be-mar-ried consult together 이1 whether they should marry…and then the persons-to-be-married consult together on whether they should marryp4