Corvus+2016+Individualism+and+Collectivism


 * Aim of Individualism and Collectivism (Sadie)**



The purpose of individualism and collectivism is to define how people interact within a group, society, or community. It is stated very explicitly in the definitions of both that these are social constructs used to designate whether or not an individual is entitled to be more concerned with the issues of themselves, or the issues of society as a whole. An example of collectivism involved marital relationships, “ Marriage is often treated as a collective. This is why you hear things like "making the marriage work", as if it had a life of its own and the husband and wife are just there to satisfy it” (Rowlands). If a marriage was more individualism than collectivism, husband and wife would make decisions based on their own morals and personal issues rather than considering the marriage with the other person. When considering individualism and collectivism, the most consistent word that involves both is moral(s). Morals are the basis of whether a person acts out of individualism or objectivism. The roles of individualism and collectivism are shown by giving examples of why both collectivism and individualism positively benefit the individual and society. It is also shown by revealing why both of these ideas can negatively affect the individual and society. The author shows that they prefer individualism rather than collectivism by showing larger and more influential reasons as to why collectivism does not contain nearly as many benefits as individualism.


 * Audience of Individualism and Objectivism (Alberto) **

 The terms individualism and collectivism have different meanings. For example, individualism intended audience would be people who are independent and that are simply just looking out for themselves. Collectivism is the opposite of individualism it is someone who is dependent and works with others as a group. In the article Individualism & collectivism it states, “Collectivists are closely linked individuals who view themselves primarily as parts of a whole, be it a family, a network of co-workers, a tribe, or a nation. Such people are mainly motivated by the norms and duties imposed by the collective entity. Individualists are motivated by their own preferences, needs, and rights, giving priority to personal rather than to group goals”(Triandis). To continue and understand more on these two terms can be figured out by social behavior. Individualism can be an individual with goals that can be positively (cooperation), negatively (competition), or not (individu- alism) correlated with group goals. Collectivism behavior of an individual result in the concern goals that are consistent with the goals of their group.


 * Cultural Impacts of Individualism and Objectivism (Bear)**

The cultural impact of the term is how different people from different walks of life interpret and live out the ideas of each individual in a society having freedom vs a whole group of people having favor over an individual. Cultural events influence the relationship between the author and the audience by giving the audience a different sense of understanding for individualism and collectivism based on their culture. “The emphasis is usually on people more than on task in collectivist cultures, and the reverse happens in individualist cultures: For example, when meeting a friend on the way to work persons in a collectivist culture will stop and chat whereas the persons in an individualist culture might excuse themselves or avoid the meeting”(Triandis, Bontempo, Villareal, Asai, Lucca 325).The cultural events that people are exposed to builds a foundation of the audience’s understanding of what the author is talking about. Persuasion affects the modern cultural context of the written text because when there is persuasion, it makes people think about their culture and their understanding of individualism and collectivism. It makes people evaluate the differences between cultures and their understandings of individualism and collectivism and allows them to compare their culture to others, giving them a deeper understanding of other cultures and not just their own. The persuasion effects the modern society of the written text because it tries to help people attain a better view of what individualism and collectivism is and allows them to build an educated opinion of what is right or what their preference is. It allows people to know what a better society should be built on.


 * Historical Impacts of Individualism and Collectivism (Allie)**

 The ideas of individualism and collectivism play a crucial role in history. These two are very important concepts because they are the belief that either someone should live their life the way they want to or that someone should live life to benefit the common good. Socialism, fascism, and communism follow the ideas of collectivism. A philosopher named Ayn Rand wrote in 1946, ‘“The greatest good for the greatest number” is one of the most vicious slogans ever foisted on humanity. This slogan has no concrete, specific meaning. There is no way to interpret it benevolently, but a great many ways in which it can be used to justify the most vicious actions” (Biddle). The idea of collectivism can be used to justify horrible acts which makes the acts morally acceptable. Hitler believed that exterminating the minority, the jews, was beneficial to the majority and so under collectivism what Hitler did is acceptable. However, on the other side, people who believe in individualism feel that people deserve their freedom and collectivism takes away their rights, they also feel the government should not have a strong influence in their lives. This stance is backed up by the constitution which was written to limit government power and make sure people had rights that could not be taken. Not only has the battle between individualism and collectivism really affected history but it has affected the present by endless battles for national health care, taxes, and more. Individualism and collectivism will also affect the future.


 * Areas of Analysis (Miranda) **

Individualism focuses mainly on the individual rights of humans, rather that the latter collective rights of humans as a group. One individual must not suffer at the foot of another, and each human has certain unalienable rights. For individualism, government policy must not scapegoat particular groups -- whereas policy would for the sake of a collective government. Individualists would find an education system that teaches each student based on their own individual learning styles. Collectivists would be best tailored to a uniform curriculum. A mixed/market economy can be described best as individualist, while a traditional and/or command economy would best fit a collectivist. According to The Objective Standard, “Individualism is the idea that the individual’s life belongs to him and that he has an inalienable right to live it as he sees fit, to act on his own judgment, to keep and use the product of his effort, and to pursue the values of his choosing” and “Collectivism is the idea that the individual’s life belongs not to him but to the group or society of which he is merely a part, that he has no rights, and that he must sacrifice his values and goals for the group’s greater good”. The two groups may find coexisting difficult, due to the nature of their beliefs. They are both at opposite ends of the spectrum, meaning the environment they live under would be tense. Individualists believe in individual rights, therefore gender identity and family identity are not as meaningful within a society. Collectivists believe in sacrifice for the community -- meaning that depending on the communities beliefs, individuals may not have the right to choose their own gender identity. Collective pop culture may not be as extreme as individualist pop culture, due to the more conservative “take one for the team” attitude collectivists take (by definition). Individualist cultural values would be scattered over the spectrum, while collectivist culture values would barely differ. The nature of collectivist cultural values is more similar than individualist values due to the varying functions of their ideal societies. Individualists prefer individual expression and equality, and collectivists prefer a society that functions for the greater good of the people within.


 * Works Cited**

Biddle, Craig. "Individualism vs. Collectivism: Our Future, Our Choice - The Objective Standard." The Objective Standard. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.

"The 100 Years War: Collectivism vs. Individualism." The PPJ Gazette. N.p., 23 Apr. 2010. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.

Joseph Rowlands. "Individualism Vs. Collectivism." Objectivism101. Joseph Rowlands, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.