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Individualism/collectivism as a moderating factor to the self-image congruity concept

College of Charleston (South Carolina), litvins{at}cofc.edu

Goh Hwai Kar

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore

Self-image congruity, the relationship between one’s self-image and one’s image of a product or service, is a widely accepted consumer behaviour theory lately finding currency in tourism literature. For tourism, as a global industry involving international tourists from varied cultural backgrounds, it is important to explore how the theory holds across a broad spectrum of cultures. To test the concept’s cross-cultural applicability, an exit survey which overlaid the concept of self-image congruity with Geert Hofstede’s cross-cultural dimension of individualism/collectivism was administered to vacation travellers from multiple cultures as they departed Singapore airport. The results affirmed the applicability of the concept of self-image congruity for tourism research and, extending this understanding, suggested that the concept enjoyed enhanced robustness when considered in conjunction with the cultural moderating variable of individualism/collectivism.

Key Words: self-image • cross-culture • individualism • collectivism • Hofstede

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