Individualism and Its Properties - Essay Example

Section/# Individualism and its Properties When one speaks on the topic of individualism in the United s there are several tangential topics that must be related first in order to acquire a full and complete understanding of the term. Firstly, this essay will attempt to portray individualism as a function of the assimilated society in which the United States has claimed to be for over two centuries. Secondly, the idea of individualism will be assessed through the lens of the democratic process and the way that the two party system within the United States actually reduces the level of individualism and expression that a given individual might be able to express in a system that adopted a more parliamentary /multiple party system of governance. Obviously, the construct of individualism is as much of a personal identifier as it is a sociological one. As such, this essay will attempt to grapple with both of these concepts in order to adequately describe and illuminate the topic. Firstly, with regards to the United States representing an assimilated society, such a construct necessarily takes away a great deal of individualism just based on the most basic understanding of such a concept. Whereas an individual is expected to transform himself/herself in order to ascribe to what can only be defined as a “least common denominator” among peoples, key elements of individuality are necessarily lost. Moreover, in such a sociological understanding of the term assimilation, there is no individuality that is championed; rather, the collective identify of an imagined society and the bonds that it shackles those that subscribe to such a belief necessarily constrict any expression or hope of individualism that might otherwise exist within the given system. Additionally – if one were ascribe to the belief that the United States is no longer an assimilated society and ascribes more to a definition of a pluralistic mixture of peoples rather than a great melting pot (as promoted by the understanding of assimilation), there is still an issue with the individualism that could be exhibited in such a situation. For instance, whereas a foreign emigre would need to ascribe to the beliefs and mores/norms of the United States in the assimilation model, the same emigre would be expected to subscribe to a unique subset of culturally applicable norms/mores within their own community of ethnically similar emigres were they to ascribe to the cultural pluralism that has defined much of the political and social landscape for the past few decades. In this way, the reader can aptly note that regardless of whether one adopts a worldview that promotes an assimilation view of the United States or one in which a plurality of cultures more adequately define the landscape, either way, the fact remains that individuality is ultimately sacrificed in such an understanding due to the fact that both worldviews place little emphasis on the understanding of the individual but rather place their emphasis on the Similarly, the issue with the United State’s political system bears analysis. Due to the fact that the United States purports to have a functional representative democracy, one would expect that individualism would be fostered to a greater degree in such a system than compared to another. However, it is the belief of this author that the peculiar type of governmental system that exists within the United States actually diminishes individualism as compared to many other forms of parliamentary democracy that exist in diverse countries the world over. For instance, in many nations around the world, a plethora of political parties exist that must work together and eventually form types of coalition governments in which disparate groups must acquiesce and come to a general consensus and/or understanding on salient topics that affect the entire populace (Callero 29). However, as is the case in the United States, a two party system of governance has dominated the political landscape for well over two hundred years. Such a system has invariably meant that political participants must be divided into two groups; Democrat or Republican. Such a division necessarily reduces the role and the means by which the individual participant can contribute to the overall process that has been enumerated upon. Such a system only serves to diminish overall individualism as the individual is forced to accept either one world view or another without any possible tertiary choices which could serve to expand an understanding of politics. Moreover, the lack of choice with respect to how a person chooses to understand their own belief systems further serves to diminish individualism. As there are but two choices for one to select from, an element of uniformity and conformism, similar to the concept of assimilation which was previously discussed, finds its way into the definition of the American political system (Kemmelmeier et al 327). This bi-polar distribution of power, rather than seeking to create a harmony among individuals (as one might expect), has only served to divide the nation into strong political camps that claim to espouse individualism; however, the true motives behind them clearly seek to benefit the ideals and goals that party leadership seeks to bring about with little if any regard for the individual shareholder in the process. Lastly, it should be noted that it is human nature to group and minimize key differences as a way of simplifying the world; however, such a simplification comes at the expense of a broader understanding of what individualism and personality can contribute to any given situation. Due to the fact that the United States is a nation that has historically prided itself on incorporating new ideals and views from the participants in its society, one must consider the actual fruits of such bold promises rather than merely accepting them at face value (Hamamura 5). For the most part, the United States concept of individualism has, like most countries, placed the group over the importance of individualism. This essay has not been intended to single-out the United States for criticism of such an issue; rather, it only bears analysis due to the fact that the United States is one of the only nations in the world that prides itself, politically, socially, culturally, and historically, on the recognizance of the individual as the key component of the society that it has sought to create. However, as has been demonstrated through this brief topical research, this is far from the case. Instead, what has indeed occurred is that the individual himself/herself has been co-opted into a much broader, all-encompassing definition of society than what may have been originally intended and/or thought of by the framers. In this way, a more complete understanding of individualism in the United States lends one to see that the theory and the practice of such a concept are indeed two very different things. Additionally, due to the nature of the political system and how it necessarily separates and divides the populace into two uniquely defined opposing camps combined with the fact that the cultural understanding of either pluralism and/or assimilation provides much the same effect, one can quickly come to understand that individualism within the United States is at a premium. Although it is a cultural norm that is often repeated without even considering the true nature of the meaning behind it, individualism is no longer a concept or a theory that is championed. As such, in order for the individual to better acclimate to such a unique cultural situation, it is advisable that he/she should seek to retain their own individualism in spite of the given determinants that have been enumerated upon. Work Cited Callero, Peter. The myth of individualism : how social forces shape our lives. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Hamamura, Takeshi. "Are Cultures Becoming Individualistic? A Cross-Temporal Comparison Of Individualism-Collectivism In The United States And Japan." Personality And Social Psychology Review: An Official Journal Of The Society For Personality And Social Psychology, Inc 16.1 (2012): 3-24. MEDLINE. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Kemmelmeier, M, EE Jambor, and J Letner. "Individualism And Good Works: Cultural Variation In Giving And Volunteering Across The United States." Journal Of Cross-Cultural Psychology 37.3 (2006): 327-344. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Read More