The Communalism Scale and Collectivistic-Individualistic Tendencies: Some Preliminary Findings

Abstract

Communalism is an Afrocultural dimension that highlights the fundamental interdependence of people. This two-part study provided data on the construct validity of a newly developed Communalism Scale by exploring its relationship with indexes of collectivistic and individualistic tendencies. One hundred and ten African American college students completed the Communalism Scale and indexes of self-concept and interpersonal attitudes. Eighty-six students returned to complete measures of values and in-group identifications. Results conformed largely to expectations. Communalism Scale scores were negatively correlated with individualistic attitudes. Positive relationships werefound between communalism scores and collectivistic attitudes, values, and perceived similarity to parents, relatives, and ethnic group. Discussion focuses on the implications for future research using the Communalism Scale.