Effects of Collectivist versus Individualist Thinking on Mental Illness Stigma

Abstract

Do collectivist cultures display more mental illness stigma than individualist cultures? Prior research has compared how collectivist cultures react differently to mental illness and show more stigma than individualist cultures (Abdullah & Brown, 2011). The present study aimed to manipulate collectivist thinking experimentally to test whether the relationship between collectivism and stigma is causal. Participants were primed into either a collectivist or individualist mindset through a short passage. Afterward, they read a vignette about a man who was experiencing symptoms of psychosis. Participants completed a social distance scale to measure how close they were willing to be with the man from the vignette. Participants also completed a scale measuring mental illness stigma in general. Overall, Black Americans displayed less desire for social distance than did members of any other cultural group in this sample. There were no significant effects of the type of prime participants received on measures of stigma; however, trends among Asian Americans and men in general suggest that collectivist primes may increase those individuals' desire for social distance. The potential influence of culture on mental illness stigma and what measures can be taken to significantly reduce stigma among collectivist cultures needs to be further researched.