The different and the same: Reexamining East and West in a cross-cultural analysis of values

Cross-cultural similarities and differences in human values were investigated. American and Japanese college students completed the terminal values portion of the Rokeach Value Survey. Consistent with past research, Japanese individuals tended to appreciate communal values more and individualistic ones less than did Americans. Nevertheless, the overall value priority ratings by American and Japanese young adults were largely similar. This could suggest that more culturally-sensitive measures of values may be necessary in order to further explore human values cross-culturally. Given the political and economic similarities between these countries, results from this study may represent relatively “pure” analyses of East-West value differences.