The universal values of community: a social dynamical view on culture

This dissertation examines the relationship between collectivist values and attitudes towards societal issues. According to this dissertation, cultural orientations serve an important role in regulating social interactions within communities and among community members. This group dynamics perspective has implications for how to conceptualise and operationalize collectivism and individualism. The dissertation develops a new measure of community collectivism on the basis of this perspective. The measure is able to differentiate between (sub)cultural groups, exactly as predicted. Accordingly, it can explain cross-cultural differences. More importantly, it is also related to attitudes and behaviors towards a wide variety of issues: sexism, political preferences, authoritarianism, and healthcare. Together, the results suggest that cultural values that stem from the dynamics of proximate communities are projected onto one's views for society as a whole and life in general.