Individualism
There was a strong sense that the decline of community has corresponded with a rise in individualism.
Participants suggested that people increasingly look after their own individual or family interests without considering the needs of society or the community.
Nothing is more important than my success, comfort and convenience – and that of my family.
This individualism was seen to have damaging consequences, fuelling selfishness and greed and leading to isolation and fear as people struggle to cope and live fulfilling lives alone.
Some comments from the consultation
“Most of our friends have no priorities external to their families. For example, they agree that climate change is a serious problem but will not alter their lifestyles because it is an external pressure outside the family universe.”
“Individual isolation bringing with it unconscious sense of fear and hopelessness because individuals know they cannot survive alone in a complex society.”
“Narcissism. The infatuation and love of self over the love of the other drives everything from greed and wasteful consumption to eating disorders and a preoccupation with celebrity. It is the darkest force within the modern collective psyche.”
on April 20th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Individualism should not be confused with an ‘I’m alright, Jack/Jacqueline’ mentality. Individuals with vision and ambition have achieved great things for their community throughout all the ages.
A possible solution is to reward contributions to the community with as much artfulness and energy as we celebrate the timewasters aka celebs. Alas, one would need a media industry with vision which we have not got.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Having fought a campaign against airport expansion in my home town I found it so depressing that most people were not concerned about others living under the flight path. Letters in the local paper said “If you don’t like it then you can move.” The climate change argument didn’t wash either. People want to fly and they want to fly from their local airport and they don’t care if it disturbs other people or affects the climate. I think the only solution seems to be to educate the children. It’s their future we’re talking about and if they go home with good information they might be able to make their parents to think twice.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 20th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Why are you all so surprised, is this not a foundation of Darwinism, Survival of the fittest, the stronger dominating the weaker and if the weaker is to perish, so be it. This is what we teach in schools as ‘the truth’. So how can society teach one thing and then want another…. love, kindness, thoughtfulness for others. teach that , practice that, and building a better society.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 21st, 2008 at 10:38 am
So what is the opposite of individualism here? This would help me to understand what this ‘evil’ is saying.
Is the opposite “Blindly following”? This is what I’d normally think for that word - that to be “Individual” is to have your own understanding of right and wrong and be able to bring your own ideas to the table. I’d count this as a good thing, especially if coupled with the ability to listen and consider others’ ideas.
Or is the opposite “Selflessness” or “Regarding others”? It sounds from the other comments here that that is the case, but then “individualism” wouldn’t seem the right word.
Where is the balance anyway? There must be balance between community and self/family as sometimes both cannot be maximised at once. Complete self sacrifice may be a wonderful ideal, but I’d expect is rare. As mentioned in other comments some individuals have done wonderful things for society while thinking of self.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 21st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Individualism is an appearance. We feel as if things are done in isolation from others but if we spend time thinking about what we do we can see this it is an illusion. Take a simple action like walking down the street. Who made the street? Who made the clothes and shoes you’re wearing, who taught you to read the street signs and who put them there? We even learned to walk by watching others do so. Actually, we do nothing in isolation and this is where individualism goes wrong.
In reality, life itself flows into us and allows us to have the appearance that it comes from us but when we stop being aware of the reality and take the appearance for reality we are in trouble. We must, as a society – and this is fundamental, continue to acknowledge this reality in word and deed; otherwise, we can say goodbye to any kind of orderly society. We forget the following words at our pearl:
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.“I am the vine, you are the branches.
If a man remains in me he bears
Much fruit; apart from me you
Can do nothing” John 15:5
on April 21st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Re: Jack Dunion
You have just described something very very akin to the ideas of interconnectedness in the Dharmic religions, yet you have quoted Christian scripture to support it. Until I saw the last line of your article I thought you were a Buddhist or Hindu or similar.
I don’t like to argue from religion on these things, even though so much of it pervades how I see the world. These ways can be quite wonderful, but I feel we need a way of expressing and understand them that doesn’t depend on a given religious basis. We need to separate it from dogma and belief somehow.
I find that interconnectedness is a wonderful analogy. I don’t know how much of that comes because it really is true, and how much because the way I see the world is effected by my own background and conditioning. While I sometimes wish that others could see it, I know that a Christian may often wish that others could see Christ. There we have difficulty because of the possibility that interconnectedness to a Christian may be as off the mark perhaps as Christ (as a Christian sees him) may be to a Buddhist.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 21st, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Hostility to religion, which is now quite widespread, may be part of the cause, but I believe it is wider than that. I think it derives from an unwillingness to accept that any belief in something wider than self is intellectually respectable. The concept of individualism was nurtured by the Margaret Thatcher view of society.
Interestingly, when people do show a sense of commitment to the community - and there are many who do - they frequently seem to be happy, and get a sense of satisfaction from doing so.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 21st, 2008 at 3:53 pm
There is another blogsite which has being reflecting on these issues in-depth modern Britian since August 2007. Many of the areas picked up in your survey are supported by the Bent Society hypothesis. The recent posts on that blogsite (written by a criminologist) on lies and the love of smart dealing are well worth a visit.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.See: http://bentsocietyblog.blogspot.com/
on April 21st, 2008 at 11:20 pm
(4) I am happy with Richard’s comments – however if I may continue this thread on the appropriateness of the word’ individualism’ used in the negative – individualism by itself is not bad – how can it be? In conjures up, at least to me: self spiritedness and free thought that rarely go hand in hand with greed. If society decides to cast aside individual expression for a goal akin to the singular betterment of the community then we shall lose inventive genius in both arts and sciences and be controlled by the elitist minority. It is, after all, animal and human nature to look after the self first, followed by the family and then the ‘herd’ to which we belong – one cannot change the instincts of the human species any more than animal instincts or the universe itself. Neither Animal instinct nor human nature created the ‘Good Samaritan’ - it is created either by a deep seated feeling that justice must prevail towards one’s fellow man or by having faith or belief in the perfection of man that is expressed by the love of one’s fellow man. For some there is a desire to work toward the perfection of man as expressed by God. This is truly exemplary in fighting Social Evil. The greatest attribute the human species can be accredited to is the ability to help ones fellow man without wanting reward or gain…. and it is this we should concentrate on – from parenthood through to school and onward into adulthood. It is almost comical, if it were not so sad, that the world, countries, cities, people, families, brothers and sisters cannot get on with each other – there is this herding into groups at an early age – the ‘them’ and ‘us’ – the ‘winners and losers’ – the ‘have and have nots’ are all created at an early age. If we take one example: Palestinians and Israelis – oh, how they dislike each other so intently! But put a Palestinian and Israeli baby together and they would play – hate is therefore taught! Education can be divisive. Education can be abused. Capitalism is a big word but not big enough not to have faults – it creates greed – the desire to want more than one needs. The whole notion of capitalism is that one person gains at the expense of another – it is intrinsically unfair. And of course the UK is firmly entrenched in capitalism - so why should there be an expectation or desire to help the community? – as this would mean giving away more of one’s wealth – the individual already feels he is taxed enough so quite logically wants to grasp hold onto the remaining pennies he has. We, that is, you, I and our forbears, have created a society that main purpose is wealth generation, self preservation and self gratification with an occasional rare self righteous flutter on the morality of certain excesses of capitalism – yet despite having individual relative untold wealth compared to other countries we are no happier for it. We cannot therefore blame the lonely selfish individual living unhappily in a Clapham bedsit who stares at the ceiling dreaming of winning the lottery for the predicament the United Kingdom is in – as he has merely been shoved into our society and told to make the best of it….whatever he considers that is. No, the big question of ‘Social Evil’ that prevails is a more hidden ‘virus’ than the obvious – defeating social evil means unwinding all the educative strands that greed is made of – the ability to differentiate between genuine need and those sycophants that pretend to need - it is living a life where we genuinely feel we are no greater or lesser than the poor man in a Clapham bedsit or a bird on a branch – it is the innate desire to want to give our time to help ourselves, others and every part of the universe in equal measure –. However our minds are too cluttered to think with clarity – there exists too much false hero-worship that is temporal and fails to create long term self fulfilment and personal joy. The three capitalist gods: Money, Power and Physical Beauty rarely last long – and with them one can be assured that pain will eventually come.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Man must must be the weakest and slowest among the larger mammals yet is the dominant species on the planet. we became so because lived first in family groups then in communities.Two species which live indiviual lives except when rearing their young the tiger and polar bear are physicaly powerfull and on the verge of extiction.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on April 28th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Individualism - two aspects that I think are covered are shown in the BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7368877.stm - churches in Java blaming Muslims for problems.
At one level we have a society trying to enforce conformity. If being individual is a problem then these Christian groups are a problem with respect to their local community.
At another level we have increasing distrust between groups. Not just in Java, but people reading here are likely to start distrusting Muslims more and an Us-and-Them attitude is likely to develop. I’ve seen the same in the Hindu groups, some telling me how in the old days everyone got on and Muslims and Hindus would even visit eachother’s festivals but things are more political now. My local temple is trying to bridge the gap by joining forces with a local mosque. I hope something good can come of that.
But then what of being an individual? From the above
“Individual isolation bringing with it unconscious sense of fear and hopelessness because individuals know they cannot survive alone in a complex society.”
I think it has to be met both ways. Can society be more supporting of individuals? As more people seem to hunker down in their own religious groups maybe not. We’re not as bad as Java by sounds of things but still our major religious institution has a belief structure which is inherently against other beliefs and other ideas. It is a structure which seems to ask you to condemn others based on them not worshipping the right deity.
I suppose it’s not so bad. There’s still plenty of chance to be involved in society in a more secular way, keeping away from religion. Still, one of our central society groups doesn’t seem too welcoming of individual exploration which I think is something we all need. It’s a challenging one to know how to solve.
On a groups level, the more isolated the groups become the worse things will be. I sometimes feel like getting the local temple and the local church and saying “Just work on this community problem together”. It would reduce duplication of effort. It will get people to get to know more about people of other groups. It would be great to see community projects staffed by people of various backgrounds working towards a common goal, a place that is welcoming even if you’re not Christian where you can see non-Christians feeling welcome and not fearing proselytisation. Where individuals can join in with no feeling of pressure to conform to a belief system they’re not ready to accept because they’ll be in a place full of people of different beliefs getting on.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 10:41 am
JOSEPH ROWNTREE – ERIC BERNE
Joseph Rowntree called upon us all to seek out the fundamental causes of weakness and evil in society.
Eric Berne gave us a succinct view of self-and-others; the tool required to achieve the above aim.
I would assert that (whether evil comes from social incompetence or – if such is your view - from letting the Devil in) its root cause IS weakness; the weakness of the individual.
In Berne’s terms, weakness amounts to an under-developed Adult ego state* in the psyche; a condition I see as pertaining all over the planet. The two terrible truths of society, are: (1) individual weakness is increasing, and (2) the overcompensating-weak, rise to positions of power. Consequently, any corrective effort must reach out directly to the very young as the Powers That Be are, instinctively, fearful of general empowerment.
I have synthesised an approach. It can be found www.barriesingleton.co.uk as outlined in 1995 to Rowntree. Click on “Visionary Stuff”.
Only wisdom empowers; cleverness is inclined to enslave. Development of a strong Adult ego state engenders wisdom and is vital to individual, family, group, state and world stability. Adult strength is the ultimate answer to every weakness and evil.
* Transactional Analysis http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/ta.htm
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Isn’t there a corrollary between empowerment, individualism/anti-collectivism, existentialism and nihalism
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 6th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
The only time i have seen community and people not acting merely as individuals was at a street party for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. I feel you can be empowered, emancipated and still be part of the community. Protecting your family is one thing but there is little point if there is no world left for them to be in.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 8th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Individualism is the ultimate form of greed.To put oneself first and foremost is the ultimate of selfishness. the only real satisfaction in life is love for your family your friends and yes for your community. It is obvious there is more to be gained by acting together in each othes interests. Individualism taken to the limit can only lead to anarchy. To be truly individual is to be utterly alone. To act in the best interests of your family friends and community will benifit your self.
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I agree with some of the comments above that it is human nature to promote and protect the self; however, i also agree with those who have talked about the human capacity to rise above this and come together / support one another. What has happened, such that interdependency is out of favour, whilst notions of self-sufficiency are celebrated? I think that the government’s rhetoric against ‘dependency’ (with workfare policies and stigmatisation of state support) has a lot to answer for in the increase of individualism. This can be seen across other areas of social policy too: for example, responsibility for pension provision being shifted to the individual, or the citizen being re-framed as the ‘consumer’ who should demand their public services.
What hope is their for the nurture of a sense of community and interdpendence? Perhaps in a quite different area of government policy: the government’s agenda to make all schools ‘extended’ marks an interesting development in this respect. Extended schools are not simply about offering breakfast or afterschool clubs. They aim to put schools at the heart of communities, offering a wide range of other services (including, for example, children’s centres, libraries, adult learning centres, health clinics, parenting classes etc).
Are these sorts of changes going to impact upon ‘community’? Might they facilitate local people coming together to support one another?
Abusive? Inappropriate? Report this comment.on May 13th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Individual sense of self and unique purpose contributes to a strong, balanced society - this follows logically from the supposition that a team of members with different thoughts, excellences and weaknesses can achieve more than a team of okay-ish clones.
Perhaps a selfish individual”ism” is a response to a society that does not respect unique talents and differences of ability or purpose, let alone encourage its members to become aware of what they can do.
Such a society could leave people with an intrinsic awareness that their own interests are not being protected and that they must look after themselves, but not knowing what their selves truly are.
“Gnothi seauton” was the inscription at the temple of Delphi, and it is a command that has more weight than ever. Know thyself.
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