Unit 2.10 Balancing Individualism and Collectivism with the Common Good

2.10  Balancing Individualism, Collectivism, with the Common Good

Should ideology be the foundation of identity?

Big Idea:

• Examine the relationship between individualism and common good in contemporary societies.

Individual Self Interest and the Common Good of Society

The belief in individualism is a view that is held strongly by some and criticized by others. People are faced with deciding how many of their decisions and actions should be motivated by self-interest.

How do ideologies balance the needs of the individual with the common good?

It is important that society chooses an ideology that provides balance between the roles and responsibilities of individuals and the common good. The following diagram of a balance scale will help you to understand the choices that a society and its citizens must make.

A balance scale implies that one thing must be weighed against another. If two items are put on one side of the balance scale and nothing is put on the other side, the balance scale will tip toward the heavier side.

In society, a balance produces order and stability. It is necessary for society and its citizens to find some way of balancing the self-interest of individuals with the common good of society.

It would be unrealistic for you to think that this is a choice that involves selecting one view and ignoring the other view. Rather, modern societies have elements of both individualism and collectivism. Society and its citizens must make choices about what the right balance should be.

Because people support various views of human nature, they are eager for society to move in a direction that is acceptable to them:

• Individualists hope to see society place greater emphasis on self-reliance and wish to see the role of government limited.

• Collectivists wish to see a greater role by government to serve the needs of all people in society.

This disagreement over what direction society should take can lead to some specific questions. These questions are known as issues. You can think of an issue as a question that asks about the direction that society should take on a certain matter. Individualists and collectivists disagree on how to solve an issue. Their ideologies are different, so their ways to solve an issue are also different. Click here to understand some Possible Issues that May Arise between Individualists and Collectivists.

Do you see how beliefs about human nature affect the choices people make about various issues?

Pluralistic Societies

Pluralistic societies recognize that there are different views within a group. A pluralistic society attempts to accommodate the perspectives of both collectivism and individualism. A pluralistic society is faced with the question of how much of each view of human nature should be reflected in decisions being made.

Collectivists place more importance on the needs of society and less importance on the needs of individuals.

Individualists place more importance on the needs of individuals and less importance on the needs of society.

Pluralistic societies place equal importance on the needs of the individuals and on the needs of society.

People have various points of view about society. When people get together, they often share their points of view with others. These discussions can often become debates and arguments as people may have different points of view.