Latin America defies cultural theories based on East-West comparisons

A cultural framework that divides the world into two is overly simplistic

aerial photo of a crosswalk in Tokyo

Cultural psychologists have long studied Eastern regions, such as Tokyo, shown here, to define how people in collectivist countries think. But the thought patterns of people in collectivist Latin American nations are challenging those definitions.

Matteo Colombo/Digital Vision/Getty Images Plus

When Igor de Almeida moved to Japan from Brazil nine years ago, the transition should have been relatively easy.