Individualists and collectivists. The Positive Value of Individualism

Collectivism- the only reasonable form of existence of human society. Individualism is a way to destroy human society.



Collectivism[lat. collectivus - collective] - the principle of organizing relationships and joint activities of people, manifested in the conscious subordination of personal interests to public interests, in comradely cooperation, in readiness for interaction and mutual assistance, in mutual understanding, goodwill and tact, interest in each other’s problems and needs. Collectivism is most characteristic of groups of a high level of development, where it is combined with personal self-determination, collectivist identification, being the basis of group cohesion, subject-value and value-orientation unity of the group.

L.A. Karpenko

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Collectivism and individualism.

Collectivism and individualism - these are two completely opposite concepts.

The Encyclopedic Dictionary gives the following definitions of collectivism and individualism:

Collectivism is a form of social connections between people under socialism, a characteristic feature of the socialist way of life, and one of the most important principles of communist morality. Under socialism, social relations are built on its inherent collectivist principles.

Individualism is a feature of the worldview and the principle of human behavior, when the interests of the individual are absolutized and opposed to the collective and society.

A classic of pedagogy of the Soviet period, A.S. Makarenko, describes the concepts of collectivism and individualism as follows:

“In accordance with the most important position of Marxism that people themselves create the circumstances under the influence of which they are brought up, A.S. Makarenko raises the question of the collective as a cell of society, which is created as a result of the conscious and purposeful activity of people. From the point of view of A.S. Makarenko, “a team is a free group of workers, united by a single goal, a single action, organized, equipped with bodies of management, discipline and responsibility, a team is a social organism in a healthy human society.”

A collective is a unit of social society that is a material carrier of relationships and dependencies that foster real collectivism and real collectivists.

A qualitatively new and objectively necessary system of relations in a socialist society cannot but have a decisive influence on the nature of relations in the collective, which is a specific component of the whole socialist society and is “isolated” to adjust the relations between society and the individual, for maximum harmonization of their interests.

In a team, wrote A.S. Makarenko, the dependencies are very complex. Everyone must coordinate personal aspirations with the goals of the entire team and the primary team.

“This harmony of general and personal goals is the character of Soviet society. For me, general goals are not only the main, dominant ones, but also related to my personal goals.”

He argued that if the team is not built like this, then it is not a Soviet team.

A.S. Makarenko argued that the question is not the presence or absence of favorable conditions for creating a team, but the ability to create these favorable conditions, the ability to organize school education in such a way that all elements of this organization contribute to the strengthening of a single school team.

In Soviet society, wrote A.S. Makarenko, there cannot be an individual outside the collective. There cannot be a separate personal fate and personal happiness, opposed to the fate and happiness of the collective. Soviet society consists of many groups, and diverse, close ties are maintained between the groups. These connections are the key to a full-blooded life and successful development of each team.

For the proper organization and normal development of a team, the work style of its organizer is of exceptional importance. It is difficult to expect that there will be a good team, a creative environment for teachers to work, if the head of the school is a person who only knows how to order and command. The director is the main educator in the team, the most experienced, most authoritative teacher, organizer.

However, as the collective develops, the functions of command and control, reward and punishment, and organizations are increasingly transferred to self-government bodies.

The collective is a contact aggregate based on the socialist principle of unification. In relation to an individual, the collective asserts the sovereignty of the whole collective. By asserting the right of an individual to voluntarily be a member of a collective, the collective demands from this individual. As long as she is a member of him, there is unquestioning submission, as follows from the sovereignty of the collective. A team is possible only if it unites people on the tasks of activities that are clearly useful for society.

Collectivism and individualism are perhaps one of the main concepts studied in social psychology and sociology. The main meaning of collectivism is that for an individual the interests of the group are always more important than their own.

A person who can be called a collectivist always cares first of all not about himself, but about his team. For him, social identity is much more important than his own “I”.

Team

To consider the concept of “collectivity,” you must first decide what a collective is. In the social and psychological sciences, it is commonly understood as a special quality of a group that is associated with a common activity. However, this quality is not inherent in all social groups, but only in those where there are certain features formed as a result of common activity. At the same time, they are very important for all team members.

The main feature of a team is the achievement of a common goal to which all its members strive. It turns out that not only positive communities, but also extremely negative ones, such as criminal gangs, can be called a collective. It is noteworthy that the collectivist mindset is characterized by exclusively voluntary membership. If an individual does not share common values, he will never become a member of a particular community.

Any team necessarily has a leader, who must regard the group members as the main support of its activities. And this is not at all surprising, because a team can achieve much greater results in its work than the individuals that make it up individually. At the same time, team members are less likely to be exposed to stress and can solve serious internal problems much more effectively.

Community spirit not only makes collaboration more effective, but also encourages people who are in some way behind to move forward. At the same time, this very common desire is a factor of inspiration that directs a person to devote himself completely and completely to society, and it also allows the individual to enjoy membership in the team. The more a team leader is able to manage it, the more development he can achieve.

Society comes first

Everyone knows that throughout his life a person is a member of different social groups, and several at the same time. It is noteworthy that individualists usually identify themselves with a larger number of groups than collectivists, but the latter, in turn, are more closely connected with social groups, they have such traits as attachment to members of the team, the desire to come to the aid of a friend, and get advice in a difficult situation choice or even submission.

The founder of the theory of collectivism is Triandis. He argued that there are certain connections between people, they can be called caring. If a person is a collectivist, then he cares a lot about the members of the community. At the same time, social groups have a very large influence on the behavior of individuals.

Groups of relatives, colleagues and neighbors have the greatest significance for a person, because it is in them that people are in close contact with each other, behave in a certain way and expect the same behavior from close people. Triandis identified two types of collectivism:

  • Horizontal.
  • Vertical.

The second type is associated with the fact that the hierarchy of members of a social group is important for a person - who is higher in status and who should obey him. The principle of collectivism lies in the interdependence and unity of its members, although the hierarchical idea cannot be completely denied here.

If we talk about the primary values ​​of collectivism, they are quite simple - a sense of duty, preservation of customs, group unity, etc. They make relationships in the team harmonious and naturally conditioned.

Correct norms

What is collectivism? First of all, this is the importance of group attitudes - for example, living like others and normal behavior, as well as dependence on the thought of what people will say about a person, etc.

Dependence on the group is usually rewarding, even if it involves borrowing money, things or products. All of this is based on reciprocity. So if today you loaned a team member a couple of thousand, then in the future you can easily turn to him with the same request.

Another important norm of such a society is the satisfaction of needs. In all tribal settlements, for example, all resources are pooled into one common “treasury” and then distributed among all members of the collective.

We can talk for a long time about how individualism and collectivism differ, but we can also consider their common features. For example, as Schwartz argued, there are values ​​that equally serve the interests of both the individual and the group as a whole, so they can regulate the behavior of people in any group.

The main example of such a value can be considered wisdom. Meanwhile, in every modern team there are universal values ​​that can be both group and individual. For example, pollution control, social justice and peace.

One can also safely say (and this has been confirmed by social experiments) that values ​​considered central to one culture can be important to a completely different one. For example, in America many years ago they described the connection between individualism and collectivism in terms of the desire for achievement. But this same desire is also observed in other countries - in Japan, China, etc.

In the social sciences there is a slightly different view. For example, Hofstede viewed collectivism and individualism as mutually exclusive concepts. They can exist together and, depending on the circumstances, manifest themselves to one degree or another both in a culture and separately in each person.

The scientist proved that representatives of collectivist cultures behave taking into account the behavior of other group members. Moreover, they behave taking into account the circumstances: if they come into contact with members of another society, then their behavior may be similar to individualistic.

The main feature of communication in cultures that can be called collectivist is that the style of communication with “strangers” and “friends” is very different. A striking example is the respectful communication of the Japanese with significant people and their rudeness on the streets or in public transport. To be fair, it must be said that Russians also exhibit similar behavior: with family and friends they are very friendly, but with strangers they are usually cold and sometimes even impolite.

World trends

The principle of collectivism and individualism is very widely described in Western social sciences. Their representatives usually tend to believe that in the modern world there is a tendency towards individualism. It is an inevitable factor inherent in an industrial society.

For example, psychologist from Poland J. Reikowski says that a society characterized by collective values ​​has no chance of thriving in the modern world. The only exceptions to his theory are the countries of the Far East.

In modern science, there is an opinion that if individualism is a priority in society, then not only the communal way of life, but also the human instinct of self-preservation may be lost. There are many examples of this. If a person is guided only by his own opinion, without taking into account moral norms, values ​​of social groups, laws, etc., then he can easily become a criminal or suicide. Societies in which people are characterized by individualism are characterized by a large number of divorces, violence, etc.

Communitarianism

Sociologists and psychologists, trying to combine the best individualistic and collectivist cultures, created a separate concept called communitarianism. This psychological phenomenon is based on the fact that the main quality of every person is his desire to live in society without losing his own individuality.

There are two types of communitarianism: philosophical and ideological. The first is a movement in which it is generally accepted that each individual person is shaped by society. In this regard, the individual can never be considered separately from his community. But at the same time, each person is called upon to emphasize the role that society plays in shaping his own values.

It is noteworthy that philosophical communitarianism is a very ancient theory, although it received its modern name quite recently thanks to N. Berdyaev. In this movement, all concepts are considered depending on the role of society for a person. For example, the concept of “justice”: if in a broad sense it means honesty, then in philosophical communitarianism it is interpreted as hierarchical equality and brotherhood.

If we talk about ideological communitarianism, it combines the features of moral conservatism and left-liberal economic policy. The main idea of ​​this movement can be called the desire to establish a civil society, the basis of which is public organizations, and not individuals.

Ideological communitarianism proclaims free education, the development of programs to protect the environment and improve morality. At the same time, a person is granted all rights and freedoms, which can only be limited by the interests of other members of the team. Representatives of ideological communitarianism have a lot of like-minded people among famous modern politicians. Author: Elena Ragozina

Manifestations of individualism and collectivism in the behavior of employees can be equally useful for work activity. Read the article about how to interact with collectivists and individualists.

From the article you will learn:

What are individualism and collectivism

Individualism and collectivism are special types of human behavior based on the characteristics of their psychological make-up and a similar ideology.

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Individualism is characterized by the opposition of the interests of an individual interests of the team and society. Individualism can be characterized by the phrase - “a person and the world around him.”

The interests of a person are primary here; the individual agrees with other people on joint common interests. Arrangements are governed by laws. A person interacts with the environment based on his own interests.

Collectivism is about society and the person in it. The main thing here is community. A person works to ensure the interests of society, and only then ensures his own interests. The individual perceives himself only as part of the team.

Thus, collectivism is a principle of social life and work of people, which manifests itself in the conscious subordination of personal interests to public ones, in cooperation and mutual assistance. Unlike individualism, in collectivism worldview value orientations are aimed at organizing social life. What is important is the collective, the joint actions of citizens based on common interests, mutual assistance, solidarity and responsibility.

How collectivism and individualism manifest themselves in interpersonal relationships at work

Such manifestations of collectivism or individualism in interpersonal relationships should not be confused with the desire for a career or lack of desire for advancement.

An individualist prefers to make his way in life through personal and professional abilities, personal experience and work. The collectivist makes his way together with the team, at the expense of the group and the performance of his roles in the team.

Individualism and collectivism as ideological value orientations

Individualism and collectivism should not be confused with egoism and altruism, isolation and sociability, and other qualities of the same kind. A collectivist at work does not necessarily put the interests of the team above his own. He may well betray the team for his own petty benefits and, while in the group, hate its members.

An individualist may turn out to be a fairly sociable person, responsive to a colleague’s request for help. And even avoiding attracting attention to himself, he can love people and be devoted to the team, in some cases sacrificing his interests for the sake of achieving results.

Such ideological value orientations of adherents of individualism and collectivism are explained by the fact that the individualist is psychologically self-sufficient. Feels himself, regardless of his social position, as an integral person. A collectivist perceives himself as a unit of something whole and accepts the principle that the interests of the collective are higher than the interests of the individual.

For an individualist, the interests of the individual members of the collective and the collective are equivalent. By correctly using this postulate, HR specialists and management can build an effective work process with an individualist.

Collectivism and individualism in Russia have historically taken positions of strong opposition, which still negatively affects the relationship between adherents of these ideologies.

In most Russian organizations, individualism is subconsciously perceived as a negative manifestation and has a low assessment of the personal principle in society, and collectivism has a high assessment. But for successful work activities, management needs to avoid such distortions to ensure labor efficiency.

The parameters of collectivism make an individual more adapted to the complex conditions of modern society than manifestations of individualism. This means that a collectivist is usually more mobile, flexible, and more loyal at work than an individualist.

However, there are activities that only individualists can do well. Basically, these are types of creative activity where the team is not able to replace an individual and does not have any advantages over it.

Successful work of an individualist is helped by core values individualistic culture:

  • freedom of action and self-sufficiency;
  • independence in judgment;
  • difference from others and independence;
  • feeling comfortable in any environment or alone.

The ethics of collectivism and the ethics of individualism in staff relations

The ethics of collectivism and the ethics of individualism can be considered from the point of view of human labor activity.

By lining up workers and partnerships with an individualist, it should be borne in mind that he perceives himself as an autonomous being. In other people he recognizes the same sovereign individuals. And even the team in which the individualist is forced to be due to his work duties, he treats as an equal unit.

The more caring an individual shows towards others, the more connected he feels to others, the more ideological collectivist he is.

In collectivist cultures, “correct behavior”, living according to custom, according to rules, is highly valued. corporate values. Dependence on the group is encouraged: lending money or things helps maintain a system of relationships based on reciprocity.

Conclusion

Manifestations of individualism and collectivism are equally important in the work team. It is important for enterprise management to avoid giving preference to any particular behavior of employees.

4.2. Individualism and collectivism

Social psychologists became interested in this topic relatively recently, but in cultural anthropology, sociology and general psychology many serious researchers have devoted their work to its study. Thus, J. Bruner considers value orientations as one of the two main groups of cultural factors that determine cognitive development - the orientation of culture either towards a collective or towards an individual (see. Bruner, 1977). From his point of view, an individualistic orientation is characteristic of modern cultures, and a collectivistic orientation is characteristic of traditional cultures in which “personal subjectivism... is not cultivated; on the contrary, the idea of ​​reality, the unity of man and the world is supported” (Ibid., p. 328). Bruner directly connects the lack of human power over the environment with a collectivist orientation: since the individual of a traditional society does not have the opportunity to influence the conditions of the environment, he separates himself less from the physical world and other individuals.

An American researcher believes that the factor shaping the choice of an individualistic or collectivistic orientation is the adults' interpretation of the child's early actions. He cites data according to which among the Wolof tribe in Senegal the motor activity of young children is not interpreted in itself, but only as a sign of attitude towards certain members of the community. According to Bruner, the social interpretation of motor acts contributes to the fact that the Wolof child in the future will identify himself more with the group and distinguish less between physical and social phenomena.

Bruner emphasizes that individualistic orientation spreads as people master the world around them. In individualistic cultures, the child’s attention is drawn to the other side of physical activity: his actions are interpreted in terms of the success of motor acts, and “other people thereby become insignificant for the implementation of these acts” (Bruner, 1977, p. 333).

The problems of the individualism/collectivism dichotomy have also worried many other researchers. The American cultural tropologist F. Hsu compared the Americans, whose entire way of life is centered on the individual, and the Chinese, whose way of life, centered on the situation, constantly shows interdependence. Sociologist T. Parsons distinguished between the orientation of the “actor” pursuing his own interests to the “I” and the orientation of the “actor” pursuing common interests to the collective and considered this pair of value orientations of the social system as one of the central ones.

A significant contribution to the empirical study of collectivism and individualism was made by G. Hofstede, who proposed one of the most famous systems for measuring cultures (see. Hofstede, Bond, 1984). Having done a gigantic job - a factor analysis of 116,000 questionnaires that revealed the value orientations of IBM employees in more than 50 countries, he identified four factors, one of which was individualism, understood by Hofstede as “the emotional independence of individuals from groups, organizations or other collectives” (Cit. By: Hui, Tri-andis, 1986, p. 228). The units of analysis were the states in which the study was conducted. They were ranked according to the degree of their citizens' commitment to individualism. The greatest individualism was shown by citizens of the USA, Australia, and Great Britain, and the least by citizens of Pakistan, Colombia, and Venezuela.

To date, social psychologists have conducted a large number of comparative cultural studies of individualism and collectivism, which, if now considered at the group level as values, then as “meta-values”, which include an extensive cluster of beliefs and behavioral stereotypes: more clearly operationalized values, for example, values ​​of independence and submission, moral norms, customs, cultural scripts, etc. Or, following Triandis, the concept of cultural syndromes is used.

However, individualism/collectivism continues to be analyzed as the value orientations of certain individuals – those prone to collectivism allocentric and prone to individualism idiocentric personalities according to the terminology of the same Triandis.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of the categories of individualism and collectivism for conceptualizing, predicting, and explaining cross-cultural differences in individual behavior. For example, differences have been identified among members of two types of cultures in locus of control, causal attribution, expression of emotions, the significance of personal or social identity, ways of resolving conflicts, teaching styles, etc. and so on.

Based on our own and other people’s research, including an analysis of the ideas of 46 psychologists and cultural anthropologists about the actions of a collectivist and an individualist in various situations, i.e. their “implicit theory of individualism/collectivism”, G. Triandis tried to summarize the differences between the two types of cultures (see. Triandis, 1994; Hui, Tri-andis, 1986). We will list only a few of them, adding the features highlighted by S. Schwartz (see. Schwartz, 1990). However, the Israeli psychologist prefers to call them communal and contractual societies, respectively, taking the social structure rather than value characteristics as a basis.

Main meaning individualism consists in the fact that a person makes decisions and acts in accordance with his personal goals, preferring them to public goals. "I" is defined in individualistic cultures as an independent unit capable of surviving outside the group, and individuals as the basic units of social perception. Individualists are members of many groups, but - with the exception of the nuclear family - are weakly identified with them and have little dependence on them. Groups, in turn, have little influence on the behavior of individuals. Even parents have little influence on the choice of friends, work, or place of residence of their grown-up children. People's responsibilities and expectations are based on negotiations in the process of achieving or changing personal status. Disputes and conflicts within the group are considered acceptable. Emotionally, individualists are isolated from others and have a tendency toward solitude.

Basic values individualistic culture - freedom of action and self-sufficiency, independence in judgment, power over others - allow the individual to feel comfortable in any environment or alone, to be different from others and to be independent.

In individualistic cultures, behavior is more regulated by social attitudes than by group morals. norms. It is even noted that such cultures are focused on violating norms - “the desire for originality, unusualness, eccentricity, foolishness” (Lotman, 1992 a, p. 296). Existing norms encourage independence from the group: it is not customary to lend money or borrow things. When distributing material resources, the norm of fairness prevails, according to which rewards must correspond to individual contribution.

Basic meaning collectivism– priority of group interests over personal interests: a collectivist cares about the impact of his decisions and actions on the community that is significant to him. The self is defined in terms of group membership, social identity is more significant than personal identity, and the basic units of social perception are groups.

Collectivists perceive themselves as members of fewer groups than individualists, but are more closely connected to them. They feel involved in the lives of other people, they are dominated by the need to help in difficult times, to show affection, to seek advice in a situation of choice, even to obey:

“When talking about connections between people, all this can be summarized by the word “caring.” The more caring an individual shows towards others, the more connected to others he feels, the more collectivist he is.” (Hui, Triandis, 1986, p. 240).

In turn, groups have a strong influence on the behavior of individuals. The most significant are the communities of relatives, neighbors, and colleagues, where people are bound by mutual responsibilities and expectations based on their permanent status. This applies primarily to one of the two types of collectivism identified by Triandis - vertical collectivism, which emphasizes the hierarchy of group members. Self-determination in this case is associated with a special place in the hierarchy, and both physical and social space are considered in terms of “honorable - less honorable.”

The second type of collectivism is horizontal– emphasizes interdependence and unity. However, the strict hierarchy characteristic of vertical collectivism is often accompanied by solidarity among persons occupying different statuses (see. Bgazhnokov, 1983).

Main values A collectivist culture is following traditions, obedience, a sense of duty, which contribute to maintaining the unity of the group, the interdependence of its members and harmonious relations between them.

In collectivistic cultures, group norms are a more important regulator of behavior than social attitudes. “‘Correct behavior’, ‘life according to custom’, ‘like people’, ‘according to the rules’ are highly valued" (Lotman, 1992a, p.296).

Dependence on the group is normatively encouraged: lending money or things helps maintain a network of relationships based on reciprocity. In the distribution of resources, norms of equality and satisfaction of needs prevail. Thus, in tribal settlements, all resources were pooled into a common fund, and even in hunting societies that encouraged initiative and independence, large catches were often divided among community members.

It is possible to further distinguish the characteristics of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, but the results of theoretical research and empirical research obtained recently significantly complicate the picture. So, III. Schwartz pointed out the shortcomings of viewing individualism/collectivism as a dichotomy of opposing core values ​​(see Schwartz, 1990).

Firstly, There are values ​​that serve the interests of both the individual and the group alike, and therefore regulate the behavior of people in any culture. From Schwartz's point of view, one of these values ​​is wisdom.

Secondly, in any modern society there are important universal values ​​that, while remaining collective, are not group values ​​(social justice, environmental protection, protection of peace).

Third, Based on empirical research, it has been established that some values ​​that were considered characteristic of one type of culture are significant for both. Thus, in the United States, the connection between individualism and achievement motivation has long been described. But the Japanese or Chinese, while remaining collectivists, strive for achievements. Schwartz did not find the supposed connection between individualism and hedonism (the search for pleasure and happiness), and collectivism with security. Moreover, Pepitone argues that there may be a close connection between justice and equality: in the United States, where “distribution of rewards according to merit is the dominant value, there is also a rule of fair assessment of individual contribution, i.e. the norm of equality of criteria when assessing the merits of all people" (Pepitone, Triandis, 1987, p.489).

Be that as it may, at present, collectivism and individualism are no longer considered, as Hofstede did, as mutually exclusive poles of a certain theoretical continuum. Two cultural syndromes can coexist and, depending on the situation, manifest themselves more or less clearly in every culture and in every person. In empirical studies, both orientations were found in the same people in relation to different groups and depending on the goals of interaction.

Firstly, The behavior of representatives of collectivistic cultures largely depends on who the “others” with whom they interact are. Collectivists display the qualities described above mainly in contacts with members of their group; with members of other groups, their behavior is similar to the behavior of individualists. In particular, the desire to help others or avoid conflict is a reflection of commitment to the group and the desire to maintain group harmony. These norms do not apply among strangers.

One of the main features of communication in collectivistic cultures is a significant difference in the style of communication with “friends” and “strangers”. For example, foreigners are struck by the contrast between the Japanese's exaggerated politeness when dealing with significant others and their rude behavior on public transport and on the streets of modern cities.

In public places, Russians are also perceived by foreign observers as rude, impolite and “cold.” But noting the greater coldness of Russians in anonymous contacts than Europeans and Americans, the same observers emphasize their warmth in intra-group relationships, the special importance of friends and friendship (see. Stephan, Abalakina-Raar, 1996).

Secondly, It turned out that the application of one or another norm in the distribution of rewards is determined by the purpose of the interaction. Regardless of culture, fairness is preferred if the goal is productivity, and equality if the goal is to maintain group harmony. Only when the goal is not clearly defined do individuals from collectivistic cultures focus on preserving group solidarity rather than productivity (see Kagitcibasi, Berry, 1989).

In the social sciences of Western countries, the world trend of progress towards individualism, supposedly inevitable in an industrial society, has long been predicted. Even today, some authors, especially from former socialist countries, argue that modern society is moving towards the complete destruction of the collectivist orientation. Thus, the Polish psychologist J. Reikowski predicts that “a society based on collectivist principles has no chance of thriving in the modern world” (Reikowski, 1993, p.29). True, he makes an exception for the states of the Far East. Moreover, Reikowski contradicts himself, considering as consequences of the displacement of collectivist norms and state orientation in Central and Eastern Europe not only the development of personal identity, but also attempts to find new opportunities for identification with any large group, most often ethnic or religious .

Many modern researchers, following the outstanding thinkers of the 20th century V. I. Vernadsky and P. Teilhard de

Chardin, on the contrary, believe that the development of humanity under the dominance of an individualistic culture threatens the survival of the species:

“One can even talk about a pronounced tendency of humanity towards suicide as a species. The isolation of the individual as the “atom” of humanity, not of collectives, not of communities (for example, ethnic groups), but of the individual, led to the loss of the species’ instinct of self-preservation.” (Kara-Murza, 1990, p. 9-10).

Indeed, a society whose members’ behavior is regulated by individualistic values ​​of freedom in action and independence in judgment, in addition to undoubted advantages, also has many disadvantages. It is for it, to a greater extent than for a collectivist society, that loneliness, divorce, depression, crimes associated with violence, and suicide are characteristic.

In an effort to combine the best of the traditions of collectivistic and individualistic cultures, a sociological concept is created communitarianism, considering the ability to live in harmony with others without losing one’s own individuality as the most desirable quality of an individual in society. Communitarianists: “offer something between the individualism of the West and the collectivism of the East, between selfish independence, traditionally understood as the male role, and caring, traditionally associated with the role of the woman; between the protection of individual rights and public welfare; between freedom and fraternity; between I-thinking and we-thinking" (Myers, 1997, p.255).

From the book Problems of the Psychology of Nations author Wundt Wilhelm

1. Individualism in legend and history. There is a natural, widespread tendency, characteristic of a naive worldview, to attribute every valuable or important, significant invention to the individual as its creator. Thus, already a primitive myth creates an image

From the book The Meaning of Anxiety by May Rollo R

4. Individualism in modern linguistics. Indeed, there is no shortage of attempts to provide anecdotal empirical evidence in favor of these hypotheses. But it is clear that all these examples are given significance only because the premise they are supposed to prove is

From the book ABC for Minors: Collection author author unknown

Individualism of the Renaissance Such a character trait of Western man as individualism becomes clearer if we consider it as a reaction to the collectivism of the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, as Burckhard says, man “conscious of himself as a member of his tribe,

From the book Scenarios of People's Lives [Eric Berne School] by Claude Steiner

Collectivism is a relationship between people based on the unity of their fundamental interests, and the social consciousness corresponding to this unity, which is expressed in people’s devotion to a common cause, in a sense of high responsibility to the collective. Collectivism is

From the book The Ability to Love by Fromm Allan

Individualism Individualism creates in a person the feeling that his achievements are the result of solely his personal efforts, and failures are solely his fault. The exaggerated importance of individual contributions makes people forget that they influence each other

From the book Pedology: Utopia and Reality author Zalkind Aron Borisovich

Dead-Ended Individualism We often equate liking solitude with strong individuality. Young people are especially likely to judge the strength and independence of their personality based on whether they can cope without company or not. Longing for loneliness

Collectivism

The term collectivism also denotes social systems that implement the principle of collectivism and strive, using any means, including violence, to transform society in the name of achieving a common goal, and deny the autonomy of the individual in the name of this goal. Collectivism is a common feature of totalitarian systems such as communism, Nazism and fascism.

Attitudes towards collectivism in different social formations and states

Collectivism can be theoretical, existing in the form of a project for the collectivist reorganization of society, and practical, existing in the form of a specific collectivist society. The form of collectivism in industrial society is socialism. Collectivists believe that inclusion in a collective is beneficial for the individual, which can mean various concepts - a group of people, a social class, the entire society, a nation, a state.

Criticism of collectivism

Various types of collectivism, communism, fascism, etc. diverge in determining the nature of that single goal to which all efforts of society should be directed. But they all diverge from liberalism and individualism in that they seek to organize society as a whole and all its resources under one ultimate goal and refuse to recognize any spheres of autonomy in which the individual and his will are the ultimate goal

Notes


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See what “Collectivism” is in other dictionaries:

    The primacy of a certain collective or group, for example, society, state, nation or class, over the human person. To paraphrase the famous expression of B. Mussolini relating to the state, the essence of K. can be conveyed by the principle: “Everyone in the team, everyone ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

    collectivism- a, m. collectivisme m. 1. A term often used in Romance countries to denote socialism. ITU 1930. 2. Social teaching that recognizes the right of ownership only to the state or society. Poppy. 1908. Community, collectivity... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

    A system in which all members of a society guarantee the obligations of the latter with their property. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. COLLECTIVISM is a social doctrine according to which. land and tools of production... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

    - (collectivism) Originally applied to the anarchism of Bakunin. In a political sense, he asserted the moral status of the collective as a freely formed and self-governing community, as opposed to the primacy of the individual... ... Political science. Dictionary.

    collectivism- as a personality property expresses the level of social development of a person, manifested in personal responsibility for social progress, for the team, in constant actions for the benefit of society. In the structure of collectivism, ... ... play an important role. Great psychological encyclopedia

    Collectivism- Collectivism ♦ Collectivisme The predominance of the collectivist principle over everything, especially collective property. Collectivism is an attempt to overcome selfishness with the help of law. This explains why historically collectivism... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary

    - [ole], collectivism, pl. no, husband (book). 1. Community, collectivity of ownership, use, labor. 2. The principle of social solidarity and camaraderie. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

    COLLECTIVISM, ah, husband. The principle of community, the collective principle in social life, in work, in what activities. The spirit of collectivism. | adj. collectivist, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

    Noun, number of synonyms: 3 community (2) conciliarity (4) commonwealth (15) ... Synonym dictionary

    English collectivism; German Kollektivismus. 1. Form of social relationships expressing relations of cooperation, solidarity, and mutual assistance of people. 2. The ethnic principle, opposed to individualism, expressing the priority of common interests over... ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

    - (collectivism) An economic system in which planning is carried out primarily by the central government and the means of production are publicly owned. Such a system existed in several countries of Eastern... ... Dictionary of business terms

Books

  • “I said - you are gods...” Religious movement in the liberation movement of the 70s. XIX century in Russia (“God-Humanity”), Konstantin Soloviev, The monograph is dedicated to the history of “God-Humanity” - one of the trends in social thought and social movement in Russia in the 70s of the 19th century. Spiritual quests of participants in the liberation… Category: Russian philosophy Series: Publisher: