While containing certain points of clear variance, both Figuring Foreigners Out and the Hofstede Dimensions of Culture provided standardized methods for differentiating or "scoring" different countries or cultures. They provided categories by which to compare cultures to each other (e.g. individualism, power distance, etc) and also to get an idea of what an individual in a certain country might think or act like. Using the standards of measurement that the readings provided could be useful as a rough, broad overview of a culture's views in general but I personally didn't think it would be very useful for determining an individual's values or thoughts. While knowing a culture's general views toward a concept or idea would be useful as a foundation, especially when first learning about that said culture, it would be significantly more fruitful to explore the different facets of opinions and values that people hold even in the same culture.
While it would be tempting to simply generalize my native culture, the United States, as an individualistic society because it is perceived as the "land of opportunity" where you and you alone decide your own fate, it really isn't that polarized of a society. One of the core values of the U.S. is family and that family comes first, and while living alone isn't heavily looked down upon or shunned, it isn't considered a completely normal way of living. On the other hand, my target culture of South Korea is considered a fairly collectivist society because of its emphasis on national pride and the idea that one's actions hold consequences for the family as well as for oneself. However, several sectors of the South Korean economy, especially the real estate market, benefit greatly from the significant population of the country that lives alone, with eating alone in restaurants being an everyday, accepted occurrence.
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Interesting post, Yewon. One of the primary difficulties with the Hofstede dimensions is that the values always fluctuate with time. Hofstede Insights supposedly conducts periodic reviews of ascribed values, but these approximate quantifications often do not indicate the trajectory of these changes over time. In the Information Age, these values can often change very quickly. Consider public perception of pressing social issues, such as religions, freedoms, identities, relationships, etc. The emphasis of solitary lifestyles is an interesting example of this kind of trend in Korean culture. Deeper analysis is needed to discern if this in fact a novel trend, or something that has long been present in other social organizations, cultural traditions, and historical events. Brenda Lim (another student in the SDLAP) did an interesting presentation on this topic last year if you'd like to explore the origins, explanations, and cultural relevance of this social phenomenon more broadly.