Individualism: one or many?

It is contended that Individualism is something more than one of the poles of the I-C dimension. Furthermore: a) its meaning cannot be reduced to that of a mere self-ingroup conflict, and b) its function cannot he reduced to establishing crosscultural comparisons since it is also present at the subc ultural level. 20 groups of about 10-12 subjects from eight different Auton omous Communities (regions) of Spain participated in the first phase of the research. They discussed freely on several I-C issues proposed by an inter viewer (a member of the research tram) in a semi-directed interview during an hour and a half. Eventually, a list of different statements was compiled from them and two equivalent pilot scales of about 164 items each were gen erated (forms A and B). 997 subjects (724 female, 273 male) participated in a second phase. Most of then were University students (age mean of 22.6 ye ars) and came from 8 different spanish regions. In group's discussions appe ared many issues different From those implied by the I-C dimension. The ans wers to the scales, in spite of the high homogeneity of the sample, reflect ed differences due to sex, age, geographical origin, intensity of religious feeling and position along the ideological continuum, among others. Severa l cluster analyses uncovered different combinations of answers to the Indiv idualism facets, suggesting that Individualism is best conceived as a "mult ifaceted" phenomenon. In the light of these results, implications for furth er research are discussed.