Describe cultural tightness and looseness and provide an example of each.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Cultural tightness–looseness is described as the strength of social norms and the
level of sanctioning within societies. Tightness is associated with order and efficiency,
conformity, and low rates of change. In contrast, looseness is associated with social
disorganization, deviance, innovation, and openness to change. Tightness–looseness is
reflected by the clarity and pervasiveness of norms within societies and the degree of
tolerance for deviation from these norms. Examples of tight cultures are India, Malaysia,
and Pakistan. Examples of relatively loose cultures are Hungary, Israel, and the
Ukraine. Tightness–looseness is measured by evaluating how true statements are such
as: (1) There are many social norms that people are supposed to abide by in this
country. (2) In this country, there are very clear expectations for how people should act
in most situations. (3) People agree upon what behaviors are appropriate versus
inappropriate in most situations in this country. (4) People in this country have a great
deal of freedom in deciding how they want to behave in most situations (reverse-coded;
higher scores indicate more cultural tightness). (5) In this country, if someone acts in an
inappropriate way, others will strongly disapprove. (6) People in this country almost
always comply with social norms.