General belonging among young adults in the context of individualist and collective culture

This study aims to examine the general sense of belonging in young adults within the context of individualistic and collectivistic cultures. In the individualistic cultures studied, individual autonomy and personal achievement are prioritized; interpersonal bonds are flexible and personal responsibility is essential. In collectivistic cultures, the interests of the group are prioritized over the interests of the individual; individuals define themselves as part of the groups they belong to; intragroup harmony is important, and social relationships are strong. Culture profoundly influences how belonging is experienced and expressed. While individualistic cultures exhibit a sense of belonging based on choice, collectivistic cultures exhibit a sense of belonging based on strong innate bonds and group harmony. The study group comprised 350 young adults, 93 male (26.6%) and 257 female (73.4%), aged 17-45. Data were collected using a "Personal Information Form," a "General Belonging Scale," and an "Individualism-Collectivism Scale (ICS). In data analysis, variance analyses such as t-tests, ANOVA, and Kruskal Wallis H tests were applied to examine differences in overall sense of belonging according to demographic variables. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between individualism and collectivism dimensions and overall sense of belonging, and multiple regression analysis was applied to determine the predictive value of these variables for overall sense of belonging. Prior to the regression analysis, necessary assumptions (normal distribution, homogeneity of variances, uncorrelated errors, and no multicollinearity) were checked. The study concluded that demographic factors such as gender, educational status, age, place of residence, place of residence where the majority of life was spent, father's education, family structure, and number of siblings did not significantly affect overall sense of belonging. However, marital status varied in the rejection dimension, with single individuals scoring higher for rejection compared to married individuals. Furthermore, maternal education level was also found to have an impact on overall sense of belonging, indicating that individuals whose mothers were primary school graduates perceived themselves as more accepted. Furthermore, in the relationships between individualistic and collectivistic cultural values and the dimensions of general belonging, significant positive relationships were found between horizontal collectivistic tendencies and both dimensions of belonging. Specifically, a moderate positive relationship was found between horizontal collectivism and acceptance, and a weak positive relationship was found between rejection. No significant relationship was found between vertical collectivism and the dimensions of belonging. However, a weak negative relationship was found between vertical individualism and acceptance. Regression analysis results indicated that horizontal collectivism and vertical individualism were significant predictors of acceptance scores. An increase in horizontal collectivism leads to an increase in acceptance scores, while an increase in vertical individualism leads to a decrease in acceptance scores. For the rejection dimension, only horizontal collectivism scores were found to be a significant predictor. The research results were evaluated, and recommendations were presented.