Individualism, Good or bad?
America is filled with two types of people, people who tell you to be yourself and do whatever you want in life, and then there are also those people who try and tell you what you should be and what you should do in life. Individualism and collectivism are conflicting views of the nature of humans. By comparing the pros and cons of individualism, we will have a clear view of the American citizen.
There are many advantages and difficulties of individualism. Individualism states that the individual is the main unit of reality and the ultimate way of life. According to redbarn.org “The view of individualism does not deny that societies exist or that people benefit from living in them, but it seems society as a collection of individuals, not something over and above them” (What is Individualism). Collectivism states that the group, the nation, the community, the culture, the race etc is the main unit of reality and the ultimate way of life. According to redbarn.org “This view does not deny the reality of the individual. But ultimately, collectivism holds that one’s identity is determined by the groups one interacts with, that one’s identity is constituted essentially of relationships with others” (What is Individualism).
Some societies in the world defend and are for individualism immensely as a part of their culture and even their forms of government. Other societies/cultures do not focus too much on it (Susana Echevrria). Even though most people believe that individualism is important, and it is very important to be self-reliant. Although we take this opinion too far and we can easily fall in the trap of believing that we are alone and that we have to fend for ourselves and make it our own. But in r...
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...ferent people believe individualism is a good thing but many different people also believe individualism is a bad thing. There is no right answer to if individualism is good or bad. I feel it is in the middle of good and bad, but it is whatever you believe.
Work Cited
Stata, Raymie. "What Is Individualism." ? Objectivism Web Service, 1992. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Echeverria, Susana. "To Be Aware." To Be Aware. 2Baware, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Heath, Dianne. "What Are the Advantages of Individualism? | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2013
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. [New York]: Feminist, 1973. Print
Faulkner, William, and M. Thomas Inge. A Rose for Emily,. [Columbus, Ohio]: Merrill, 1970. Print.
Andre, Claire, and Manuel Velasquez. "American Society and Individualism." Evernote. Scu.edu, 1991. Web. 18 Dec. 2013
You and I do not exist; government deems it so. We are one, a single body functioning for the collective good of society. Ayn Rand’s Anthem speaks to this collectivist doctrine while highlighting the implicit contradictions that impede its successful implementation. Collectivism is any philosophic, political, religious, economic, or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human. Collectivism is a basic cultural element that exists as the reverse of individualism in human nature (in the same way high context culture exists as the reverse of
Faulkner, William. A Rose For Emily. 10th ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2010. 681-687. Print.
In the long trek of life, people are constantly chided to follow their hearts, and to be themselves, and to let our individuality run free. As Georg Simmel once said,“The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life.” He is utterly correct. Every person, every mind and every heart, has their own way of doing things. We have associated individuality with singularit...
This article provides me a detailed research on a group of American and Chinese adults with plenty of data and analysis. They provided a lot of real and objective opinion on the comparison between individualism and collectivism. The fact of the whole respondents are students gives me an advantage on finding better ways to understand and use this research in my
Noah Miller English Honors: D Ms. Hiller 13 December 2013 1984 Major Essay Assignment. Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. When put into a collective whole, one might do for the whole more than one does for oneself.
...bol of individualism. As reason defines, it’s sensible to define individuals, individually; as separate entities. Collectivism, on the other hand, undermines this principle. Ironically, this lack of reason is exactly what allows for it to achieve political and societal success—by utilizing the undefeatable irrationality.
Individualism and collectivism are conflicting beliefs with the nature of humans, society, and the relationships between them, however, these ideologies are not diametrically opposing since both are essential towards balancing beliefs from becoming extremes. The first source represents the idea of collectivism and suggests that the society must focus on moving their viewpoint from ‘me’ into ‘we’ in the interest of survival and progression. This perspective presents the idea that the individual’s advantage belongs not only to the person, but to the group or society of which he or she is a part of, and that the individual’s values and goals are for the group’s “greater good.” Likewise, Karl Marx’s principle of communism emphasizes in the elimination
In the unit “The Spirit of Individualism” there are two parts, “Celebrations of the self” and “The Dark side of Individualism” with pieces that present very different perspectives on human nature. “The Dark side of Individualism” portrays human nature as greedy, confused, easily caught up in fame, and addicted to wealth and possessions. In “Celebrations of the Self”, human nature is viewed in a more positive light. The characteristics shown are self reliance, independence, wisdom and selflessness. “The Dark side of Individualism” pieces are written in a more macabre tone, whereas “Celebrations of the Self” pieces have a more positive and uplifting tone to them. The generalizations of human nature are different because of the pieces in “The Dark side of Individualism” and “Celebrations of the Self” have entirely different views on life and human nature.
The notion of individualism is extremely important in exercising the duty people have to cease from the...
The idea of Individualism can be traced all the way back to England before America’s existence. As we know, individualism has been interpreted in many forms throughout history. The 19th century is no different, taking hold of its own idea of individualism, called transcendentalism. Transcendentalism suggests freedom should not be confined to those focused on money and superficial gains. Instead, people should depend on no one but themselves. This movement focused on “greater individualism against conformity” (Corbett et al.). Heavily influenced by the Romantic period, transcendentalism adopted the belief that reason was more important than logic as Benjamin Franklin has believed. Reason must also include unique emotion and spirit (Corbett et
Individualism from the transcendentalist era is very different then it is in the modern day. In the transcendentalist era, everyone believed that the person is more important than the society. You see this in self reliance where Emerson says “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events” (Emerson par. 3). In this quote, i believe the emerson is saying that you know what's best for yourself and you should follow your heart, but society is always going to try to tell you something different. In the modern day, people rely more on the
... an individual, he has his own ideas, plans, thoughts, and is his own being and is looked down upon because of it. This book shows us that Collectivist societies do not work and they lead to brainless, incompetent people who have no meaning in life. The book's theme of individuality and identity show the downfalls of Collectivism vividly and very well. Throughout the book Anthem, the theme of individuality and one's identity, shown through Equality's own ideas, own love, and own ego, are vital to show Collectivism's faults.
Their are some benefits to American individualism like being yourself and doing everything your self. Just like Charlotte Perkins Gilman projected the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” was determined to tare down all the wallpaper herself (Gilman 8). In the story the woman said “How she betrayed herself that time! But I am her, and no person touches this paper but me, -- not alive !” (Gilman 8). The author did a great job on using the story to show what happened to her when she had the same problem. With her writing the story about events that happened in her life she made it easier to make connections when reading the story. In “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe had a great way of having things in the story represent different things in real life (Poe 459-461). Its a pro because when there were running throw the rooms and the people where dying in different rooms it shows that everyone is different an individual (Poe 460-461). It shows individualism because the rooms represent different stages in life so when the people are dying Poe is trying to say that people die in different stages in life. Also with Poe’s writing in general he uses his real life experiences like in the poem “The Raven” where he talks to the raven about his dead wife (Poe 467). In the article “For Some Wiccans” It shows great examples of American individualism first by the whole article is about people that believe that they are real...
Individuality and conformity both play a major role in society. No matter what it may be individuals will need to choose appropriately between conforming and acting individualistically about their situation. Individuality allows individuals to freely express themselves while conformity offers safety under the protection of other conformers. Both of these aspects are beneficial to many individuals and is a key to maintaining societal order; however, it is disastrous to have too much of either side of the spectrum. Therefore, there should be a balance between individuality and conformity because having too much of either side morally and physically harms components of society, such that it pressures and forces individuals to do tasks against their will, and causes individuals to think selfishly and worry solely about themselves.
Transcendentalism is a movement that was brought to the global horizon in the nineteenth century through prominent leaders such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The adoption of this movement took a great role in New England, touching upon a variety of categories including, religion, philosophy, and literature. The need for this movement came about as a response to the world’s rapidly changing society. Many were in search of a source to redefine man and wanted an element that would bring about greater self-sufficiency and a more naturalistic view of life. As many started to take on the role that was associated with the adoption of a transcendentalist lifestyle, the far most pivotal element of the Transcendentalism movement arose: Individualism.