Raikin 1

Nicole Raikin
Mr. King
English I
23 May 2016
Individualism Essay
As the world population increases, societies around the world are determining if their
social structures are to be run by Individualism or Collectivism. Individualism is the idea that a
person should focus on his or her own self and interests, while Collectivism is the idea that a
person should focus on his or her role in a group or society (Briddle). Individualism is better than
Collectivism because it allows people to pursue their own goals and be less susceptible to
manipulation.
Individualism promotes and encourages people to do things that will further advance
themselves. Under this society, individuals have the freedom and right to do activities and
accomplish goals that make them happy. According to Stedman Graham, Being able to identify
your natural abilities and deciding what skills you have are crucial to developing your identity
(Graham). That being said, it is important for people to be given the ability to pursue interests in
order to fully understand who they are and what purpose they have in this world. If a person is
able to know his or her own basic beliefs and interests, then he or she will also be protected from
exploitation and negative influence of others.
Individualism defends people from the manipulation of higher or charismatic authorities.
Instead of depending on someone to decide for them, people are able to personally choose what

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is right and wrong in any given situation. In the short story, The Most Dangerous Game, the evil
General Zaroff tried to convince a man, Mr. Rainsford, that hunting humans like animals was
acceptable. Rainsford was able to remember his own moral principles and tell General Zaroff :
Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder (Connell)". Only
Individualism is able to grant each person this unique freedom. Even with this privilege, a large
number of individuals still agree with the collectivist lifestyle.
Despite the evidence against collectivism, many people believe that this society allows
for people to further trust and help others (Happiness), but they fail to see that they can be taken
advantage of and have ideas forced upon them. Those who believe in Collectivism think that the
increase in trust will end social conflicts and create harmony. Although aspects of this argument
are enticing, it ultimately fails to be a stronger argument because there are many examples of
Collectivist groups that have increased negativity and hatred. In George Orwells book, Animal
Farm, the animals united under the philosophy of Animalism. In the end, the animals were
mistreated and exploited by the head pig, Napoleon. The animals were taught to hate their
previous human master, and agree that Napoleon was their new ruler. For those who tried to
rebel the book stated: The three huns who had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion
over the eggs They too were slaughtered. (Orwell 84) This proves that social groups are truly
under the control of one leader who can forcefully tell his or her followers what to believe.
All in all, individualism is better than Collectivism because it allows people to pursue
their own goals and be less susceptible to manipulation. It is important that everyone appreciates
each others uniqueness and beliefs. It is these differences that allows people to make an impact
on the world in their own way.

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Works Cited
Briddle, Craig. "Individualism vs. Collectivism: Our Future, Our Choice - The Objective
Standard." The Objective Standard. The Objective Standard, n.d. Web. 27 May 2016.
https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2012-spring/individualism-collectivism/
Connell, Richard Edward. The Most Dangerous Game. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 2011.
Web.
http://jasonryanking.weebly.com/uploads/9/3/5/1/9351854/the_most_dangerous_game1.pdf
Graham, Stedman. "Your Identity Matters." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d.
Web. 27 May 2016.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stedman-graham/self-identity_b_3790845.html
"Happiness in Collectivistic and Individualistic Societies |." Afs.org. AFS Intercultural Programs
Inc., n.d. Web. 27 May 2016.
http://www.afs.org/blog/icl/?p=3473
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1954. Print.