浅析中西方隐私观念的差异英语

OntheDifferenceBetweenChineseandWesternNotionofPrivacy浅析中西方隐私观念的差异AbstractNowadays,withthedevelopmentofglobalization,internationaltradeandculturalcommunicationhavebecomemoreandmorefrequent.Theconflicts,contradictions,misunderstandings,andcommunicationfailuresarecommonoccurrenceresultingfromdifferentnotionsofprivacybetweentheWesternersandChinese.DuetothedifferentbackgroundsofWesternandChineseculture,WesternersandChineseholddifferentvaluesofprivacy,resultingindifferentunderstandingsofthemeaningandscopeofprivacy.ThispaperfocusesoncomparisonofthedifferentnotionsofprivacybetweentheWestandChina,makesastudyontherootofthedifferentnotionsbetweentheWestandChina.Inanalyzingthedifferencesmoreclearly,thereisacomparisonmadeinthispapertoclarifythedifferentnotions,differentunderstandingsofprivateaffairs,differentcultures,differentregulationmechanismofprivacy,anddifferenthistoricaloriginsofprivacybetweentheWestandChina.Itisbelievedthatcorrectunderstandingofthesedifferenceswillbehelpfulforsmoothcross-culturalcommunication.KEYWORDS:China,theWest,notionofprivacy,culture,difference,origin现如今，随着国际化的发展，国际贸易及国际间的文化交流变得越来越频繁。因为中西方的隐私观念不同而造成的冲突，矛盾，误解，甚至是交流失败更是屡见不鲜。由于中西方背景的差异，中国人和西方人持有不同的价值观念，因而对于隐私的含义，范畴的理解及维护的意识也不相同。本文着力于分析和比较中西方不同的隐私观念，对其形成的根源进行研究。为了使得中西方不同的隐私挂念分析的更加清晰，本文包括了中西方不同的隐私观念，中西方对个人事务的不同理解，中西方不同的文化，中西方不同的隐私调节机制，中西方不同隐私观念的起源。对这些不同的正确认识对跨文化交际的顺利进行是非常有帮助的。关键词:中国；西方；隐私观；文化；差异；根源TableofContentsINTRODUCTIONTOC\o"1-5"\h\z\o"CurrentDocument"DIFFERENCESBETWEENWESTERNANDCHINESENOTIONSOFPRIVACY 2\o"CurrentDocument"DEFINITIONOFPRIVACY 2\o"CurrentDocument"DIFFERENTPRIVACYNOTIONSBETWEENTHEWESTANDCHINA 3\o"CurrentDocument"Westernnotionofprivacy 3\o"CurrentDocument"Chinesenotionofprivacy 3\o"CurrentDocument"DIFFERENTUNDERSTANDINGSOFPRIVATEAFFAIRS 4\o"CurrentDocument"Politeness 4Income\o"CurrentDocument"Space 5\o"CurrentDocument"Age 5\o"CurrentDocument"CULTUREANDPRIVACY 5\o"CurrentDocument"Westernindividualism 5\o"CurrentDocument"Chinesecollectivism 6DifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternnotionofindividualism\o"CurrentDocument"REGULATIONMECHANISMOFPRIVACY 8\o"CurrentDocument"TheChineseway 8\o"CurrentDocument".TheWesternway 8\o"CurrentDocument"THERIGHTSTOPRIVACY 8\o"CurrentDocument"ORIGINOFDIFFERENTPRIVACYNOTIONS 9\o"CurrentDocument"WESTERNVALUES 10\o"CurrentDocument"CHINESEVALUES 11\o"CurrentDocument"COMPARATIVEANALYSIS 11\o"CurrentDocument"CONCLUSION 13\o"CurrentDocument"BIBLIOGRAPHY 15\o"CurrentDocument"ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 16IntroductionNowadays,withthedevelopmentofthecutting-edgetechnology,especiallyinternationalnetwork,theworldisbecomingsmaller.Andwiththedevelopmentofthesociety,thelivingstandardsofthepeopleallovertheworldhasbeenincreasinggreatlyascomparedwiththatoftheformerdays，andtheirbasicneedsarenolongerconfinedtomaterialneeds,e.g.,foods,houses,clothes,butareextendedtocoverthespiritualone.Therefore,theywanttocommunicatewithpeopleallovertheworld.Cross-culturalcommunicationreferstocommunicationbetweenpeoplefromdifferentcultures.Duringtheprocessofthecross-culturalcommunication,therearemanymisunderstandings,conflicts,contradictionsandcommunicationfailuresresultedfromthedifferentprivacynotionsbetweentheWestandChina.Toachieveagoodunderstandingofcommunicationfailuresandtopromotethecross-culturalcommunication,thispaperpresentsreadersthecomparisonofdifferentconceptsofprivacybetweenthetheWestandChina,givesthedifferentdefinitionofprivacybetweentheWestandChina,introduceswhatarethesedifferencesbetweentheWestandChina,andanalyzestherootofthesedifferences.ThispaperfocusesonthedifferentnotionsofprivacybetweentheWestandChina.Thispaperisdividedintofourparts,Thefirstpartisintroductionwhichgivesthebackgrounds,theme,significance，methods,andintroducesthestructureofthispaper.Thesecondpart,differencesbetweenWesternandChinesenotionofprivacy,isthecorepartofthispaper,includingadiscussionofdefinitionofprivacy,differentprivacynotionsbetweentheWestandChina,differentunderstandingsofprivateaffairs,cultureandprivacy,regulationmechanismofprivacy.Theanalysisoftherightsofprivacyarealsoincludedinthesecondpart.ThethirdpartdiscussesthehistoricaloriginofthedifferentprivacynotionsinboththeWestandChina,makesastudyofdifferentinfluencesuponthedifferenthistoricalbackgroundcultures,andshowshowthesedifferencescomeintobeing.Theforthpartistheconclusion,whichmakesasummaryofthispaper,andanalyzesthesignificanceofthisstudy.DifferencesbetweenWesternandChinesenotionsofprivacyDefinitionofprivacyPrivacyisdefinedas‘freedomfrominterferenceorpublicattention’inEnglish.《OXFORDADVANCEDLEARNER’SEnglish—ChineseDictionary》，(1998)Accordingtothisdefinition,privacyisaprivaterightthattheWesternerholdtheirownsecrets,anddon’twanttobedisturbedbyothersorpublicattention,don’tneedtotelltheprivateaffairstootherpeople.Itisarightwhichishighlyrespected.PrivacycanbedividedintofourcategoriesinWesterners’mindsasfollow,(1)solitude,itmeanslivingawayfromtheoutsideworld;(2)intimacy,itmeanstheWesternersjusttelltheirownsecretstorelativesortheclosestfriends,(3)anonymity,itmeanstheWesternersdon'twanttoberecognizedbyotherpeople,(4)self-reserve,itmeanstheWesternersavoidtheunneededharassment.Infact,thesefourkindsofprivacycanbefoundineveryculturetosomepoint,butdifferentkindsofcultureattachdifferentemphasistodifferentparts.TheWesternerspaymoreattentiontotheirprivacyrightsthantheChinesepeopledo.Asthemoderntechnologyadvances,theworldisbecomingsmaller;privacyisbecomingmoreandmoreun-safer.TheWallStreetJournalandtheWesternBroadcastingCompanyhavemadeasurveywhichshowthatprivacyisthemostoutstandingprobleminthe21stcenturyoftheWesternpeople,andtheWesternerspaymoreattentiontoprivacythanpopulationexplosion，racialconflict,andgreenhouseeffect.TherearesomerepresentativeunderstandingsaboutprivacyintheeyesoftheChinesepeople,i.e.,privateinformation,whichmeansthattheChinesepeoplekeeptheirownprivateinformation,andareunwillingtohavetheirinformationrevealedtothepublic;thesecondissecretsofprivatelife,whichmeansthatChinesepeopleliveinapeacefulcircumstance,andareunwillingtobedisturbedbyotherpeopleanddon'twanttheirownprivateinformationtobecollectedorannouncedtothepublicinanillegalwaybyotherpeople.(曾丽洁，2007).DifferentprivacynotionsbetweentheWestandChinaWesternnotionofprivacyTheWesternersconsiderthatprivacyoftheindividualcanbeseparatedintofourpartsasfollow:(1)Individualautonomy,itreferstoanindividual’sintentiontoavoidotherpeople’scontrolanddomination.(2)Emotionalrelease,itreferstoanindividual’sintentiontohavetheopportunitytoadjustthestructureofself-emotion.(3)Self-assessment,itreferstoanindividual’sintentiontohavetheopportunitytoassessandrecognizetheirself-behaviororexperience.Limitedprotectionofcommunication,itreferstoanindividual’sintentiontohavetheopportunitytoachievethebalancebetweenindividualsandsociety.Peoplecanmakethedefiningofthinkingbetweenthefamilygroupandformaloccasionstochoosethedifferentcommunicationchoicesindifferentoccasions.AccordingtothesocialperspectiveoftheWesterncountriesandAmerica,thedifferencesofculture,ideology,customandculturecanbeseeneverywhere.Yetfortheindividualprivacy,allthepeoplefromthesecountrieshaveabottomline.Oncethebottomlinewasbroken,theindividualwillfightfortheirprivacyrightandtakeactionaccordingtolaw.ChinesenotionofprivacyChinesepeopledoesnotapproveoftheword—‘private'intheirminds,andtherightsofindividualsbasicallywereconsideredtobeselfishinterestsforalongtimebefore;theChinesepeoplehardlyhavethenotionofprivacy;therefore,thereisnotawordinChinesewhichmeansexactlythesameastheword‘privacy’inEnglish.Fromthispoint,thedifferencesintreatingindividualaffairsbetweentheWestandChinahavemadeclear.WeChinesetranslatetheword‘privacy’intoChineseas‘隐私权’(therightofprivacy),infactit'snottotallytheexactmeaningoftheword‘privacy’.However,theconnotationofprivacyisveryabundant.AccordingtotheEncyclopediaBritannicaLibrary,SuperCourtJusticeBrandies,itdescribesprivacyin1890as“therighttobeleftalone.Intortslaw,privacyisarightnottobedisturbedemotionallybyconductdesignedtosubjectvictimtogreattensionbybaringhisintimatelifeandaffairstopublicvieworbyhumiliatingorannoyinginvasionsofhissolitude,theprotectionofindividuals’honor,reputation.(EncyclopediaBritannica,2006)DifferentunderstandingsofprivateaffairsPolitenessTherelationshipbetweenpolitenessandprivacyinEnglishandChineselifearedifferent.Forexample,Chinesepeopleexpressconcernforothersbyaskingtheirageandincome,whichissurlypoliteinChinese’sminds.However,inWesterner’sopinion,thisisarudemannertocollecttheirprivateaffairs.TheChinesealwaysaskothersquestionlike“Didyouhavesupperyet?”InChinesepeople’smind,itisawayofgreetingandthereisnoanyadditionalmeaning.Nevertheless,inWesterner’smind,theythinkingyouwanttoinvitethemtohavesupper,andyouwillpaythebill.“Whereareyougoing?”isnothingspecialforChinesepeople.Itisawaytogreetsomebody.However,theWesternerswilltendtobelievethattheyhavebeenmonitored.SincetheWesternerspaygreatattentiontotheirpersonalrightsandprivacy,theyfocusonpersonalcontribution.Inthissense,ChinesepolitenessprinciplesandtheWestern’shavesubstantialdistinction.Income“Howmuchdoyouearnamonth?”isanotherquestionthatChinesepeopleliketoask.Therefore,ifyouaskaWesternerthequestionlikethat,theywilltendtobelievethatyouarecollectingtheirpersonalinformation.InWesterncountries,theWesternersdon’tknoweachothers’incomeorsalary,evenforfamilymembers,butitdoesnotmeanthefamilymembersdonotcareabouteachother.Rather,it’sakindofrespect,andit’sindividual’sprivacyandindependence.InWesterncountries,incomeorsalaryreflectsone’spersonalability.Andthereisabigdisparitybetweenthepovertyandwealth,thewesternersdespisethepoorandcurryfavorswiththerichatthesametime.Moreover,inordertoensurethesafetyoftheirfamilymembersandproperty,thewealthypeopleregardtheirincomeorsalarylevelasakindofprivacy.Nevertheless,itdoesnotmeanthattheWesternersdon’tdiscusstheirincomeorsalarylevel.Forexample,whentheyoungstarttofindajob,theywilltalkaboutthedifferentsalarylevel,bywhichtheyoungjudgewhethertheyaretreatedequally.Eveninthiscase,thequestionmustbeverycareful.SpaceTheWesternershavethestrongterritorysenseofspaceandspaceofpersonalprivacy.Astheresultofthesetwokindsofrequirements,theyoftenusethedoor,wallandsplinttoseparatetheirpersonalliveandworkplace.Forexample,theyalwaysseparatetheirofficewithwoodenboard.Ifthedoorisopen,itmeansinviting,andyoucanenterintotheirhouse.Inordertoshowyourrespect,youcanknockthedoorlightly,andthenyouwillbewellreceivedbythehost.Asaresultofhistoricalreason,Chinesepeoplealwayshavetheabilitytosharethepublicspace,suchastheworkplace.Consequently,theyoftenforgetthestrongsenseofindividual’sterritoryofWesternersisakindofinalienablerights.AgeInChina,‘old’isasymbolofrichexperienceandhaveawiderangeofknowledge.However,theWesternsocietyisfulloffiercecompetitionandpaymoreattentiontopersonalability.‘Old’meanssomebodywithdrawalfromthesocietyfulloffiercecompetition.Forwomen,‘old’meansthelossofcharm,andthefactmakeswomenfeelsadandhelpless,sothewesternersareunwillingtoadmittheirsenescence.Moreover,theoldhaveastrongawarenessofindependence,andtheoldhavestrongsenseofself-respect,theyareunwillingtoadmittheyhavebecomeold.So,agebecomesakindofprivacyofindividualsinWesterncountries.CultureandprivacyWesternindividualismInthetheoryofanAmericanscholarnamedSamovar,theindividualismincludethefollowingelements:autonomousmotivation,independentchoice,self-independence,respectingothers,individualfreedomandrespectingprivacy.ThemainperformancesoftheWesternindividualisminvalueincludepersonalprivacy,personalindependence,personalperformance,individualfreedom,etc.Besides,theWesternersarehighlysensitiveaboutprivatespace;theyneverentertheterritoryofotherswithoutthehost’spermission.InWesternculture,viewingspaceasaprivatefieldorprivacyregulationmechanismisverycommon;andtheWesternerhavegreaterfortune,theirprivacyandprivatespaceisbecomingbigger,soprivacyandspaceareproportionaltothebasicinWesterncounties.IndividualismplaysaprogressiveroleintheWesternsocialprogress.Themainperformanceincludethefollowingelements.(1)Theindividualismsloganof‘freedomandequalitybecomesagreatspiritualpowertoencourage,educate,mobilizealltheWesternpeople.(2)TheindividualismintheearlystageensuretheWesterncountry’ssuccessinthewaythatalltheWesternersenjoythe‘chances’oflife.(3)Theindividualismencouragepeople’spursuitofdiversity.Ingeneral,theindividualismplaysanirreplaceableroleintheWesternhistory;itisthecorevalueofWesternpeople.Westernerbelievesthatpersonaldignity,respectofprivacy,andreliesontheirownstrengthtoachievepersonalinterests.ChinesecollectivismIntoday’sChinesesociety,Chinesepeoplestillhavethestrongsenseofbelongingtoagroup.Undertheinfluenceofgrouporientation,Chinesepeoplepaymoreattentiontofamily,societyandcountry’sinterestthanpersonalgainsorlosses.Theyadvocatethatindividualsobeythecollective.Intheprocessofmanagingtherelationshipbetweenindividualsandcollective,peoplearerequiredtobeself-restrainingandconsistentwiththecollectiveinterest.Intherelationbetweenindividualandfamily,theyemphasizethatindividual’ssurvivalisrootedinfamily’ssurvival,andpersonalhonoriscloselylinkedwithfamily.TheinevitableresultofgrouporientationisthattheChinesepeoplerelyoneachother,andcooperatewitheachother.Inthepositiveaspects,theChinesepeoplearehighlyrespectful,modest,prudent,mutualcooperative,andfullofcollectivismandpatriotism;whentheindividualsachievesuccess,thentheywillattributedtheirsuccesstothesociety,environmentandthepeoplewhohavehelpedthem.ThecollectivismmakestheChinesepeople’scharacterintrovert,implicit,quietandtolerant.Forthenegativeaspects,thecollectivismmakesthepeoplelackofenterprisespiritandindividualcompetitionconsciousness.ChinesesocialgrouporientationalsodecidestheChinesenotionofprivacy.DifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternnotionofindividualismInChineseculture,individualismisthesynonymofegoism,andindividualismisaderogatoryterm.However,intheWesternculture,individualismisnotequaltoegoism.AlexisdeTocqueville(AlexisdeTocqueville,aFrenchhistorianandbiologist;1805-1895)pointsoutthat‘egoismisakindofbadhabits,individualismisaproductofdemocracy,andindividualismisdevelopingwiththeexpansionoftheidentityequality.Therefore,individualismemphasizesindependence,creation,focusesonfreeindividualdevelopment,andisunaffectedbysocial,political,orreligiousforceandconstraints.IndividualismisverystrangetoChineseculture.Itismentionedearlierthatindividualismisnotanisolatednotion.Individualismasakindofmoralandpoliticalprinciple,whichexertsanimportantroleinacompletevaluesystemandsystemstructure.ThethreebasicstructuresofChinesesocietyishighlycentralizedbureaucracy,absolutemonarchy,andthepatriarchalclansystem.Allofthesethreebasicsocialstructuresareincompatiblewithindividuals.Fromtheculturalaspect,Chinesepeopledonotattachtheimportancetopersonaljudgment,theyaremoreadaptedtothegroupcollectivism.Thetheoryof‘NaturerightsandSocialcontract’isnotincludedintheChineseculture.ThetraditionthatallthepeopleparticipateinthepoliticsdoesnotexistinChineseculture.IntheWest,comparedwiththeGod,individualsaresmall,butinChina,comparedwiththeranksystem,individualsaresmall.ComplianceisthemodeofeducationandtraininginChineseculture.Astheresultofsuchvalueandculturaldifferences,differentunderstandingsofprivacynotionbetweentheWestandChinacomeintobeing.RegulationmechanismofprivacyTheChinesewayChinesealwaystaketheemotionandpersonalattitudeasprivacy,andtheyoftentakeitinaself-regulationway.Theyalwayshidetheso-calledprivacyindeepmindtoaccommodatethegrouporientationormeetthesocialharmonythroughself-digestion,foremotionandattitudeareprivateaffairsandakindofprivacy.Makingpersonalemotionandprivateaffairspublicwillloseface,anddamagethesocialharmonyandthisactwillbecondemnedbysocietyaswell.Thesocietyhasthecharacteristicofsocialaspectandindividualism.InChineseculture,moreattentionispaidtothesocialitythantoindividual’scharacteristic;butinWesternculture,moreattentionispaidtoindividual’sspecialtyratherthansociality.Ontheotherhands,inordertoaccommodatethegrouporientationormeetthesocialharmony,Chinese’sprivateinterestisundertheseverelycontrolofthegrouporientation.Traditionalcultureasksthepeopletocontrolthemselvesorkeepsilence,andsosilenceisanimportantwaytoregulatetheirprivacy..TheWesternwayOnthecontrary,theWesternswillfindaplacetohideunderthesamesituation,sotheywouldhidethemselvesintheirownroomsandclosethedoortoprotectthemselves.Thedoorisawayofregulatingtheirprivacy,whetheritistheofficeorbathroomdoor.Ifthedoorisclosed,itwillgivethemessageof‘donotdisturb’.Intheindependentspace,theywillfindanywaytoregulatetheirownprivacy,anywaytheyfeelcomfortable.TheydonotcontrolthemselvesorkeepsilencelikeourChinese.TherightstoprivacyIn1890,theUnitedStatesHarvardUniversityprofessorSamuelD.WarrenandprofessorLouisD.BrandiespublishedTheRighttoPrivacyanddefinedprivacyasalegalright.Chinadidnothavethelawtoprotecttheprivacyuntil1980swhenChinaintroduced“therightstoprivacy."Atpresent,thestudyoftherightofprivacyinourcountryisfarbehindthewesterncountries.Thesenseofprivacymustbeimproved.“Itcouldbedoneonlyonprinciplesofprivatejustice,moralfitness,andpublicconvenience,which,whenappliedtoanewsubject,makecommonlawwithoutaprecedent;muchmorewhenreceivedandapprovedbyusage.”Ifsomeonebreakstherightofprivacy,hewillfacethelegalsanctionsbutalsobesubjectedtokindsofmoraljudgments.TheNewsoftheWorldPhone-hackingscandalinBritainhasclaimeditslatestvictim-thenewspaperitself.NewsInternational,theparentcompanyofthenewspaperownedbymediamogulRupertMurdoch(anAustrilianAmericanmediamogul),hasannouncedthatthisSunday’seditionwillbethelast.ItsclosureisunlikelytomarktheendofascandalthatpenetratesdeepintoBritishsociety.ThePhone-hackingscandalisachallengetoprivacy.Becauseofthefiercecompetitioninnewspapers,particularlyinthetabloidnewspapers,itleadstomorefeetinmoredoors.Itshouldalwaysberememberedthatthereisadoubleconstraint,thelawandmoral.Abouttheprivacy,differentcountrieshavedifferentnotionsthatisrootedindiversecultures.IninterculturalcommunicationthedifferentunderstandingofprivacybetweenChinaandtheWest,itwillshowdifferentwaysandrules.Insomeways,thelawandthemoralswillcondemntheinvasionofprivacy.Consequently,peoplemustunderstandtheeachother'sculturalbackground,historicalorigin.Inthisway,peoplecanavoidorreducetheculturalconflictandmakethecross-culturalcommunicationmorerelaxed,happyandharmonious.OriginofdifferentprivacynotionsFundamentally,thedifferentprivacyviewofChinaandtheWestcomeintobeingundertheinfluenceofdifferentculturesanddifferentvalues.PrivacyperceptionistherootofdifferencesinthevaluesofWesternculturedifferences.PrivacyisadirectproductofWesternindividualism,andindividualismisthecoreofWesternculture.WesternvaluesIndividualismholdsthattheindividualistheprimaryunitofrealityandtheultimatestandardofvalue.Thisviewdoesnotdenythatsocietiesexistorthatpeoplebenefitfromlivinginthem,butitseessocietyasacollectionofindividuals,notsomethingoverorabovethem.Individualistsbelievethateverypersonisanendinhimselfandthatnooneshouldbesacrificedforthesakeofanother.Individualismpointsoutthatachievementgoesbeyondwhathasalreadybeendone;itissomethingnewthatthisiscreatedbytheindividual.InWesternenterprises,thesefeaturesareobviouslyprovednotonlybythemanager,alsothestaff.IndividualismisthecoreoftheWesternvaluesystem."Individualism"inEnglishisfromtheLatin"individuum".TheFrenchsociologistAlexisdeTocqueville(1805-1895)firstusedthis,meaning"advocatingpersonalintegrityandeconomicindependence,emphasisonindividualinitiative,behaviorandinterestsofthetheory,andguidedbythepracticeofthistheory”.ThemeaningofWesternindividualismiswidelyexplained:asaphilosophy,itisatypicalWesterncapitalistpoliticalandsocialphilosophy,whichthesupremacyofpersonalvalues,attachedgreatimportancetoself-governandself-control,againstanyauthority,religious,governmental,social,andanyotherexternalfactorsonthe"individualrights".ThisimportantWesternphilosophicalindividualismembodiedinthe17thcenturyBritishphilosopherJohnLocke(JohnLocke,1632-1704)whowasarepresentativeofthephilosophicaltradition.AccordingtoLocke'spointofview,"ofindividualorganismsisthebasicunitofnature,"hesays,"Sincepeopleareequalandindependent,nopersonshallinfringeotherpeople'slives,health,liberty,orproperty."Relationshipbetweenpeopleisapeaceful,freestate,everyoneshouldenjoyavarietyof"naturalrights."Ingeneral,theWesternemphasisonindividualism,personalvalues,individualfreedom,personalinterests,personalpleasure,personallife,etc.Itisatheoryofhumannature,butalsoaphilosophyoflife;itisanethicalprinciple,butalsoasocialandpoliticalphilosophy.Inshort,itisWesternsociety'smostprofoundessenceofculture.ChinesevaluesCollectivismholdsthatthegroup,thenation,thecommunity,therace,etc.--istheprimaryunitofrealityandtheultimatestandardofvalue.Thisviewdoesnotdenytherealityoftheindividual.Itbelievesthattheneedsandgoalsoftheindividualaresubordinatetothoseofthelargergroupandshouldbesacrificedwhenthecollectivegoodsorequires.Theachievementisaproductofsociety.InChina,thegroupinterestshavebeenhighlyemphasizedthousandsofyearsago,andthisvaluehasbeenpasseddowntothisgeneration.Nowadays,inChinapeoplestillhaveastrongsenseofbelongingtogroup.Byinfluencinggroup-orientation,Chinesepeopleputcollectiveinterestsatthefirstplaceandadvocateindividualshouldsubordinatetoagroupsuchasfamily,communityornation.Thisrequirespeopletoinsistonself-restrainanddisciplinewhentheyhavetodealwiththerelationshipofcommunityorfamily.CollectivismistheinevitableresultofinterdependenceandmutualcooperationbetweenChinesepeople.ItleadsChinesepeopletobeintroversive,reserved,quiet,andtolerantandbecomeamainfactortodeterminetheconceptofChineseprivacy.Onthepositiveside,thisshowsgreatqualitiesinChinesepeoplesuchaspeopleofmodesty,cautionandawarenessofcollectivismandpatriotism.Theywillputthecredittothegrouporhelpfromotherswhentheymeetasuccess.However,ontheotherhand,thisorientationwouldreducepersonalinitiativeandconsciousnessforcompetition.Eachpersonisencouragedtoconformtosociety,todowhatisbestforthegroupandnottoopenlyexpressopinionsorbeliefsthatgoagainstit.ComparativeanalysisTheindividualism-collectivismdichotomyisanimportantelementtounderstandtheWesternandEasterncultures,becauseittellsamajordifferencebetweenthetwocultures.Theindividualism-collectivismdichotomyhasbeenwidelyusedtoexplainculturaldifferencesinbehaviors.GeertHofstede(aHollandprofessor，1928-)definesindividualismandcollectivismasfollows:"Individualismpertainstosocietiesinwhichthetiesbetweenindividualsareloose:Everyoneisexpectedtolookafterhimselforherselfandhisorherimmediatefamily.Collectivismasitisoppositepertainstosocietiesinwhichpeoplefrombirthonwardsareintegratedintostrongcohesivein-groups,whichthroughoutpeople'slifetimecontinuetoprotecttheminexchangeforunquestioningloyalty".Collectivi