How individualistic are you ?

[LeBrok]

I am quite individualistic. At school, I never liked group activities and team work. I thought it was more efficient to complete the assigned task alone than with the group. It avoids conflicts about who should do what and how. I believe that group decisions are the cause of a lot of conflicts in life. In collectivist societies it is the boss or the person with the highest status who has the last word. This can easily cause resentment among those who have been unfairly assigned the least desirable tasks or the heaviest workload. In egalitarian societies group member will bicker at length before reaching a consensus. The individualist bypasses all these problems, setting himself straight to work, and completing the task before everybody else and without conflict. I think that is why individualistic countries like Switzerland, Scandinavia or Canada are more peaceful than collectivist ones. The USA are an exception, but that's because the socioeconomic system (little social welfare) and the laws (right to have guns) incite to violence.

Interesting, but can you explain why these individualistic countries are well organized and prosperous, which would imply that citizens are highly cooperative and work well together for common good?

It would put Greece, Spain and Italy in less individualistic countries camp. Although they are the once with most political parties, more tax evasion, and they are more likely to display personal wealth and follow group fashion than Scandinavians.

 

[nordicwarrior]

I don't know about Scandinavia, but society in North America is very focused on aggressivity, social hierarchy and obedience to authority, more so in eastern big cities than in the west or rural areas.

As a U.S. citizen, I would have to disagree that everyone is focused on hierarchy and obedience to authority. Or guns for that matter. While I'm of the opinion we are going to experience severe economic unrest in the near future, I've destroyed all my lethal force weapons. I'm not going to get violent over a bowl of rice.

 

[kamani]

As a U.S. citizen, I would have to disagree that everyone is focused on hierarchy and obedience to authority. Or guns for that matter. While I'm of the opinion we are going to experience severe economic unrest in the near future, I've destroyed all my lethal force weapons. I'm not going to get violent over a bowl of rice.

Americans are some of the nicest people I have met, and I have met quite a few nationalities. The question is how likely are people to question authority. In Canada they're not very likely from what I have seen.

 

[nordicwarrior]

Well thank you Kamani, we have some nice and some that are not so nice I guess. Plenty here do question authority (at least on a State and Federal level), and a growing number are just ignoring authority based on current political situation. It's a developing artform to configure your life in such a way so that Big Brother has difficulty interacting with you. Parking fines, speeding tickets, unauthorized "security stops" (both in airports and highways), outrageous property taxes are all becoming intrusive pathways to our population base. I won't get started on our new healthcare plan and it's almost hilarious violation of privacy rights.

 

[Power]

i am one of a kind

 

[firetown]

Very interesting discussion. But I strongly disagree with your take on Germans being individualistic. As a matter of fact I consider Germans probably least individualistic out there.
There are many small interest groups that seem so, but always a result of collectivism appearing individualistic to the world outside of Germany.
If you spend time in Germany, you will realize those persons you might otherwise label as individualists are rather a part of and oftentimes "product" of one of many subgroups where their way of life is the norm and other styles are usually met with strict intolerance.