The Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural Psychology, First Edition. Edited by Kenneth D. Keith. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 Allocentrism Catherine L. Caldwell-Harris Boston University, USA Allocentrism refers to a set of personality traits that indicate a collectivist orientation (Triandis, 2001). Allocentrics define them- selves as interdependent with others. In social relations, they stay close to members of their ingroup, are sensitive to social norms, and may choose to subordinate their own perso- nal goals to those of their family or ingroup. They tend to share resources with others, often with the explicit expectation of receiv- ing reciprocity or assistance in the future. Allocentrics frequently feel honored or shamed when other ingroup members are honored or shamed. Triandis and his colleagues (Triandis, Leung, Villareal, & Clack, 1985) introduced allocen- trism as the person-level analogue of the widely used construct of collectivism. Allocentrism is usually discussed in conjunction with the personality trait idiocentrism, which relates to personality characteristics of persons who embrace individualistic values. Individualism and collectivism both have horizontal and vertical components (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk, & Gelfand, 1995; Triandis & Gelfand, 1998), and these attributes can be applied to personality as well. Vertical refers to hierar- chical characteristics, and horizontal to egali- tarianism. The allocentric values of meeting one’s obligations to others and obtaining benefits from others manifest differently in horizontal vs. vertical collectivism. Those who display horizontal collectivism favor equality in social groups, communality, sharing (both giving and receiving), and non-competitiveness. Those who display vertical collectivism accept the naturalness of social hierarchies and accept their position within the hierarchy, including the requirement to be dutiful toward social superiors and to provide guidance and resources to those who are under one ’ s command and protection, such as children and  employees. Allocentrism Within and Between Geographical Regions A special type of allocentrism is family allocentrism or familialism (Lay et al., 1998). Familialism emphasizes closeness to family and includes not just the obligation to care for family, but also the expectation of being cared for and supported by family members. Familialism may be the dominant type of allo- centrism among Mediterranean and middle- eastern cultures, such as Italy, Greece, and Turkey. In contrast, vertical collectivism and its emphasis on duty and obligations to the ingroup are less characteristic of Mediterranean cultures. Familialism is also important for Asians, although vertical collectivism is more characteristic of East Asian cultures due to the Confucian influence there. Allocentrism is more characteristic of per- sons living in rural and less wealthy countries because the lack of resources increases the need to depend on friends and neighbors. In Greece, Georgas (1989) found that allocentric values were stronger for students in rural communities compared to those residing in a large metropolitan area. In the United States, allocentrism is strongest in the Deep South and weakest in highly urban regions (Vandello & Cohen, 1999). Freeman’s (1997) comprehen- sive analysis of demographic variables correlated with allocentrism and idiocentrism revealed that allocentrism varied primarily with income and did not vary with urbaniza- tion when income was statistically controlled. Consistent with this income finding, in Korea low income was associated with a strong orientation to social networks.