Horizontal Individualism

What it measures

Four items measure the degree to which a person is self-reliant and values personal uniqueness without necessarily regarding themselves as superior to others. This represents the horizontal individualism dimension of the four-part individualism–collectivism framework. Triandis and Gelfand (1998) modified items from Singelis et al. (1995) and validated the scale in a factor analysis alongside horizontal collectivism, vertical individualism, and vertical collectivism items. Applied in marketing research by Kitirattarkarn, Araujo, and Neijens (2019) across four countries (U.S., Netherlands, Korea, Thailand) and by Lou, Tse, and Lwin (2019) across U.S. and Singaporean samples.

Response format

7-point Likert (anchors not stated; likely strongly disagree/strongly agree)

Scale items

• I would rather depend on myself than others.
• I rely on myself most of the time. I rarely rely on others.
• I often do my own thing.
• My personal identity, independent of others, is very important to me.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

A 4-item version from the Triandis and Gelfand (1998) modification of the broader Singelis et al. (1995) instrument. Distinguishable from vertical individualism, which combines self-reliance with competitive superiority. Kitirattarkarn et al. (2019) used translations across four languages via back-translation; specific phrasings were not provided in the article — contact the authors for translated versions.

Citation

Triandis, H. C., & Gelfand, M. J. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(1), 118–128.

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