Individualism vs. Collectivism

There are many ways to define how we interact and deal with others on a daily basis. In some cultures, it is more acceptable to handle issues on your own. However, in others it is more acceptable to approach these same situations as a group. The objective of this post is not to say which is better but to (hopefully) help you come to a better understanding of how cultures differently approach similar situations.

American culture as a whole holds the belief of individualism. We believe that with minimal help we should be able to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and become successful. That is the so-called American Dream. That explains why there are so many people that do not believe that social agencies should exist in the fashion that they do. A positive aspect of this belief is that you do not have to rely on anyone to get things done. Rather than hoping and waiting that others are willing to or able to help, you get things done on your own time and at your own pace. However this can be a negative as well. You may bite off more than you can chew and make it difficult for you to effectively handle the situation that you’re in.

Now the belief of collectivism is more focused on the group success rather than of the individual. Think of a family that’s running a business. Rather than one person doing all the work, it is shared throughout the family and they are working towards a common goal. This is the lifestyle for many groups of people throughout the world. Some of these cultures are in Asia, South America or Africa. The group is more important than the individual. This allows the goals of the group to be met quicker due to everyone working together. However a person’s sense of self could be lost due to the unimportance of their individual goals.

I can’t tell you which belief is better because each has their positives and negatives. Living in America I am used to individualistic thinking yet I work in a field where collectivism would be better suited. What I can say is that both of these are important to know and understand because then it could explain how others approach their life challenges. I could get into the psychological aspect but that’s more suited for another post, maybe somewhere down the line.  I wanted to give a basic overview for now to invoke thought and discussion on a belief that may be different from yours.