[Ummon]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstede%2 ... ons_theory

http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

Not sure if anyone is familiar with this, but it really helps in bridging cultural misunderstandings at least in my opinion. Read about the different dimensions below and if you wish share where you think you fall in the various scales and what nation you are from and if your personal preferences match the country in which you live/were raised and what country you think would most match your preferences (if different from your current host country):

Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert Hofstede. It describes the effects of a society's culture on the values of its members, and how these values relate to behavior, using a structure derived from factor analysis. The theory has been widely used in several fields as a paradigm for research,[citation needed] particularly in cross-cultural psychology, international management, and cross-cultural communication.

Dimensions of national cultures

Power distance index (PDI): "Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally." Individuals in a society that exhibits a high degree of power distance accept hierarchies in which everyone has a place without the need for justification. Societies with low power distance seek to have equal distribution of power. [6]Cultures that endorse low power distance expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic.

Individualism (IDV) vs. collectivism: "The degree to which individuals are integrated into groups". In individualistic societies, the stress is put on personal achievements and individual rights. People are expected to stand up for themselves and their immediate family, and to choose their own affiliations. In contrast, in collectivist societies, individuals act predominantly as members of a lifelong and cohesive group or organization (note: "The word collectivism in this sense has no political meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state"). People have large extended families, which are used as a protection in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.

Uncertainty avoidance index (UAI): "a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity". It reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance tend to be more emotional. They try to minimize the occurrence of unknown and unusual circumstances and to proceed with careful changes step by step planning and by implementing rules, laws and regulations. In contrast, low uncertainty avoidance cultures accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable environments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic, they are more tolerant of change.

Masculinity (MAS), vs. femininity: "The distribution of emotional roles between the genders". Masculine cultures' values are competitiveness, assertiveness, materialism, ambition and power, whereas feminine cultures place more value on relationships and quality of life. In masculine cultures, the differences between gender roles are more dramatic and less fluid than in feminine cultures where men and women have the same values emphasizing modesty and caring. As a result of the taboo on sexuality in many cultures, particularly masculine ones, and because of the obvious gender generalizations implied by Hofstede's terminology, this dimension is often renamed by users of Hofstede's work, e.g. to Quantity of Life vs. Quality of Life.

Long-term orientation (LTO), vs. short term orientation: First called "Confucian dynamism", it describes societies' time horizon. Long-term oriented societies attach more importance to the future. They foster pragmatic values oriented towards rewards, including persistence, saving and capacity for adaptation. In short term oriented societies, values promoted are related to the past and the present, including steadiness, respect for tradition, preservation of one's face, reciprocation and fulfilling social obligations.

Indulgence versus restraint (IVR): The extent to which members of a society try to control their desires and impulses. Whereas indulgent societies have a tendency to allow relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires related to enjoying life and having fun, restrained societies have a conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict norms.

For myself I prefer a low power difference midrange in terms of collectivism/individualism but I lean more to collectivism (like japan if you will this is not about communism vs capitalism per se), midrange in masculinity/feminity (I like stuff, but I don't think meaning should derive from it), I like a VERY LOW SCORE ON UAI, I am definitely more LTO and I prefer restraint cultures though when everyone else acts permissively I find it hard to restrain myself because I don't wish to be taken advantage of. I think my ideal culture would be somewhat like Israeli culture and I definitely do not fit in to standard American culture (which I find too individualistic and indulgent). The second link will allow you to compare two countries against one another and you can take a (paid) test to determine your precise dimensions if you like (I didn't).