Individualism and Collectivism: Conceptual Basis for the Intercultural Study of Personal Conceptions of Intelligence of Portuguese and Romanian Students

Abstract

The core aspect of this article is centered on the attempt of highlighting the way in which the individualism-collectivism (IND/COL) dimension – which in the last 20 years has been largely used to compare societies – can be accurately operacionalized, to conceive an adequate methodology for the measurement and validation of these two controversial constructs, and, consequently, for the investigation of their relation with individuals’ psychological aspects of behavior, particularly, with the structuring and the development of personal conceptions of intelligence (PCI). In this way, at a theoretical level, we explore the influence of the IND/COL on the PCI of Portuguese and Romanian students, proceeding from the assumption that the cultural context, in which individuals live and act, models such conceptions, and, implicitly, influences the respective achievement patterns of behavior and school performance.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v20i2.392