A History of Individualism
and Collectivism
SOC 30
The Popularity of Individualism
One of the dominant characteristics of modern
culture is individualism. This individualism
prevails not only in the United States, but
elsewhere, including Korea. In view of such a
long human history, it is not easy to define
individualism because as a phenomenon it is
complex and varied…
- Yung Suk Kim
Early Understandings of
Individualism and Collectivism
Purpose of Individualism
• Autonomy: the state of
an individual outside of
authority
• Self-reliance: being
solely responsible for
your own well-being
Purpose of Collectivism
• Common Good: group
goals and needs above
individual ones
Early Understandings of
Individualism and Collectivism
• For any hunter-gatherer
society, individualism
most likely meant death
• Hunting was by necessity
a communal activity
– What if you were
injured?
– What if there was too
little game?
– Who would watch your
family while you were
gone?
– Who would watch your
back?
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
Early Understandings:
Athens
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
• Hyper-individualist
– Philosophy is an individual pursuit
– Democracy is the best form of
government
– A “free market” is the best system
• The government’s role is to protect
the aforementioned democracy
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
Early Understandings:
Sparta
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
• Hyper-collectivist
– All men enrolled in the military
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
• Continuous military service
• The Hoplite
– All women supporting their men and
operating businesses
• Everything that a Spartan does is
for the benefit of the Spartan State
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
The Apostles
• See Acts 2:44-45
• “All those who had believed were
together, and had all things in common;
and they began selling their property
and possessions, and were sharing
them with all, as anyone might have
need.”
• Collectivism was again, a social
security net
– For weak / sick
– For widows / orphans / elderly
• Christians were soon envied by
those around them
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
Medieval Period
• Pax Romana – Peace of Rome
– Rome had provided safety and
security for all people
– The Roman army operated as a
collective entity
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
Early Understandings:
Medieval Period
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
• The “Barbarian Tribes” that wore
down the Roman Empire were far
more individualist
– Individualist for the warrior!
• Common people were provided with
structure and security in exchange for
loyalty and service to their lords
– But, individual lives held little value
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
Christian Europe
• By AD 800, the Catholic church
had spread throughout Europe.
Its only competition was the
Orthodox church in Asia
– The church held immense power
and was one of the largest
landowners
• People were organized into
different social categories
– However, you yourself did not
count. It was how you fit into
your group that counted
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
The Renaissance
• Now we see a shift in the
importance of the individual
• Renaissance = “rebirth”
– The Roman Empire was viewed
through rose-covered glasses, and
many Europeans believed that they
had finally re-reached the greatness
of Rome
• Revival of classical Greek and
Roman culture
• Major questions:
– What is the importance of life?
– What is man’s central role?
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
The Renaissance
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
Protestant Reformation
• Caused By:
– Growing abuses of the Catholic
Church (and thus mistrust)
– Philosophical thoughts of the
day
• Increasingly, Europeans begin to
acknowledge the powers and
abilities of individuals
– Desire for increasing education
– Increasingly individualist
perspectives
4th century BC
Aristotle & Self-Interest
AD 30-100
Early Christian
Collectivism
44BC - AD 476
“Pax Romana”
AD 800
Christian Europe
1450-1600
Renaissance
1500-1650
Protestant Reformation
Early Understandings:
Protestant Reformation
• The invention of the
Printing Press by
Johannes Gutenberg
in 1439 is extremely
significant
– The Bible may now be
translated into the
common tongue
– The Catholic Church
no longer has to
“translate” the bible
for followers
– Individuals can read
it for themselves
Concluding
Thoughts
• The widespread belief in
individualism is a relatively
new phenomenon
– However, it never replaced
collectivism entirely
• Individualism and
collectivism exist side-by-side
in today’s cultures
• These two tendencies will
continue to be in tension for
the far foreseeable future –
they will continue to shape
societies
Activity
• With a partner (or in
groups), decide whether or
not the following are
individualist or collectivist
in nature:
– Schools
– Hospitals
– Government
– Traffic Patterns and Rules
– Church