Group Dynamics...

i had a long discussion in the afternoon about how a group of people with similar objectives affect every individual in the group; either dragging each other down or inspiring each other to new heights. i was just wondering whether this is a very 'Indian' phenomenon. i'm reminded of this very popular anecdote which probably every primary school teacher uses atleast once every year. A crate full of Indian crabs and a crate full of crabs of other nationalities (as if crabs know where they're from) were placed next to each other in a restaurant. The Indian crate was uncovered while the other one was shut tight. A curious diner asked why so. The chef replied, 'If a crab tries to escape by climbing to the top of the crate, usually the other crabs in the crate do not react. However, if the crabs are Indian, they pull the adventurous crab down. So why put a lid?'
Two things come out quite obviously: One, the 'other' crabs seem quite individualistic and independent. Two, Indian crabs are highly dependent on their society. So again i have a few questions. Is it that this anecdote is told in every country, just replacing the 'Indian' with 'Russian' or 'American' or 'Senegalese'? Assuming the anecdote is basically correct, why just Indians? Is it because of a society that places such importance on conforming to the standard? Is it because making it big in this country is next to impossible (although the situation is changing)? Is it because all our epic heroes are called 'Maryada Purshottam' only when they bow down to society? Is it because going against the flow is considered more heinous a crime than doing what is right?
And why is this painted only in the negative light? What if that one crab who tries to escape drags his unwilling colleagues out too? Or is that just impossible to expect here??