I found an article comparing East Asian and American values, written by David Hitchcock who was the former director of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the United States Information Agency.
He did the survey by asking Americans and East Asians (Japanese, Thais, Chinese, Koreans, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Indonesians, and Filipinos) on societal values and personal values and his report shows the following results.
Most valued societal values
By the East Asians:
An orderly society
Open to new ideas
Freedom of expression
Respect for authority
By the Americans:
Freedom of expression
Personal freedom
The rights of the individual
Open debate
Thinking for oneself
Most valued personal values
By the East Asians
Respect for learning
Fulfilling obligations to others
Self-discipline
Hard work
Achieving success in life
By the Americans:
Self reliance
Personal achievement
Hard work
Achieving success in life
Helping others
Fulfilling obligations to others
Apparently, we can see that there are fundamental differences not just with societal values but also with regard to personal values between East Asians and Americans.
Recent Comments