The Military as an Illustration of Collectivistic Culture Part One

In part one of this two part series, Jeff connects military culture as an example of the collectivistic culture missionaries suddenly find themselves immersed in when they go abroad into the mission field. For many Americans, culture shock is overwhelming because we’re born into and immersed in a very individualistic culture.

When one enters the military, you are taught to put the groups needs ahead of your own. This goes against the grain of everything we, as Americans, have ever learned or experienced. So much so, that military trainers intentionally deconstruct every facet of the a new recruit, and then, with extreme purpose, build the recruit into a new kind of person that puts the mission and organization’s priorities ahead of one’s own. This is the thinking American missionaries need to adopt as they move into other cultures.

Photo by Richard Catabay on Unsplash