Changing Patterns of Individualism and Collectivism in the United States and Japan

We argue that culture is not a rigid or static entity. Instead, it is dynamic, in constant flux across individuals within cultures, and across time. In this article, we use the dimension of individualism vs collectivism (IC) as a specific and limited aspect of culture, within and between the United States and Japan, to highlight this notion. We analyze briefly social changes in the United States and Japan to suggest the changing nature of this dimension in both cultures. We re-present data reported elsewhere (Matsumoto, Brown, Preston, Matsumoto, Weissman, Preston, Brown, and we replicate the unconventional analyses reported in Study 1. Finally, we discuss the empirical and theoretical implications of culture as a dynamic and fluid, not fixed, entity.