Cultural mindsets are deeply-held assumptions about the way the world works that are widely shared across a culture or society. Whereas an opinion is something a person might consciously hold (something like: “I think people should work out regularly”), a cultural mindset is an underlying way of thinking that is highly durable and transcends issues (something like the “individualism” mindset: that each person’s lot in life is a direct result of the choices they make).
Cultural mindsets emerge from and are tied to cultural and social practices and institutions with deep historical roots. At the same time, in moments of social upheaval, mindsets can be pushed into flux and become destabilized, leading to fairly rapid changes in thinking.
Check out six essential features of cultural mindsets here.