Mapping and interpreting cultural differences around the world

Most of us have notions about how the cultures of particular nations differ
from one another. For theory and practice to progress, however, we need reliable
ways to describe and compare cultures. This chapter presents an empirically
validated typology of value orientations, developed in recent years to
describe, map, and give insight into cultural differences (Schwartz, 1994a,
1999). This approach is distinctive in its use of a priori theorizing to derive
cultural dimensions and to specify how they form a coherent, integrated system.
The chapter explicates this typology, compares it with others, and
applies it to characterize the broad cultural orientations in the countries
where over 75% of the world's population lives. It also discusses a selection
of possible causes and consequences of national differences on these cultural
orientations.