Autonomy vs Conformity

Since the dawn of the ages, cultural norms have always been present and have rarely been broken. Culture is what the community as a whole abides by and operates within. However Individual autonomy (or otherwise referred to, as ones independence or freedom) is unequivocally subjected to judgment and social condemnation. Tensions are high solely because an autonomous individual who shows disregard for culture are deemed disrespectful by the community who in turn pass judgment. Predominately, East Asian cultures are the most culturally conformed when in contrast to their counterparts. The country of Japan is a perfect example to analyse – Japanese culture is one of conformity and a heavy emphasis is based on the community’s expectations – such as honour (Benedict, 1946, p162). Japanese communities are based on a socioeconomic hierarchy where employment affects friendship groups and status. A culture such as the United States of America’s is exceptionally opposite to Japan’s, due to, America’s greater number of immigrants. America has the concept of being ‘the land of the free’ (MacLeish, 1977, p93) that emphasises the trait of individual autonomy which migrants found to be a little more difficult than the preconceived notion. All cultures have one trait in common – conformity, the notion of culture is for individuals to think the same and become a group with similar beliefs thus defeating individual autonomy. Though culture is different across all nations, culture indirectly eliminates individual autonomy within the community due to its conformist nature.

American culture is based upon the perception of freedom, however, American culture is extremely convoluted and as a result multiple communities emerged (Clark, 1968, pp576-593),...

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