Individualism
Individual freewill and autonomy have become important social values. Notions around self-reliance and personal responsibility are growing, linked in with a more complex definition of personal identity – how we define ourselves in relation to others. Faced with diverse and contradictory opinions, ideologies, faiths, sub-cultures and communities, people are less willing to conform to narrowly defined identities and to express more fluid personalised needs and preferences.
What are the implications?
- A trend towards more personalised services
- It is harder to make assumptions about the requirements and identities of service users
- A growing emphasis on individual responsibility replacing more traditional collective activism
- People are more able to define their own identities, often based on multiple cultures and values, creating a sense of individual freedom.
- Willingness to accept without questions what those in authority say, has declined (see public expectations and assertiveness)
- There can be tension between the need to ‘stand out’ and to ‘fit in’, particularly amongst young people
- Individualism is often associated with selfishness and a decline in concern for and involvement with the community
Moving forward
- Do you feel confident that your organisation fully understands your users and their diverse needs?
- Can you facilitate the transition of potential supporters of your cause from individual to collective action?
- What role might your organisation have in supporting those who do not feel so empowered or have less confidence in their own identity?
- In five years’ time, will you be tailoring your services and/or activities more to suit individualised need and preferences?
Want to know more?
Published by: HenleyCentre and the Salvation Army
Date:2003
Format:PDF
What is it? A report, commissioned by the Salvation Army, investigating the social and economic circumstances of life in Britain.
How useful is this? Third in a series of reports, this examines the themes of
community, individuality and responsibility, a key concern to emerge from this research is the growing ‘responsibility gap’ in British society, referring to the growing deficit of care for vulnerable groups in contemporary British society. The report examines how this happened, and provides recommendations to overcome the problem.
Young People and British Identity
Published by: Ipsos MORI/Camelot Foundation
Date: 2007
Format:PDF
What is it? A report and executive summary of research into young people in Britain and how they view their identity.
How useful is this? Canvassing the views of 16 – 21 year olds across Britain, the research used qualitative and quantitative methods to assess their views of Britishness and its place in their lives. Issues such as social cohesion, multiculturalism, nationalism, and young people's future and life chances are central to the findings. The paper investigates how British identity is constructed and how it operates in youth culture, and offers recommendations of ways to move forwards
A Wrong Turn in the Search for Freedom?
Published by: The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)
Date: 2008
Format: PDF (111KB)
What is it? An in depth report that explores the themes behind Individualism.
How useful is this? This report is particularly useful for gaining a general overview on the themes of individualism that exist in society today and the historical context these issues have arisen from. While we have gained many individual liberties and have access to an abundance of consumer goods, people feel less content and secure than they once did. The issues examined in this report revolve around the impact such insecurities are having upon society, why these trends have arisen, and the possible solutions needed in order to maintain democracy and equality.
Individualism and Consumerism: Reframing the Debate
Published by: The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)
Date: 2008
Format: PDF (248KB)
What is it? A report looking at the loss of solidarity, the retreat into individualism and subsequently the “wasteful consumerism” this entails.
How useful is this? Of particular interest within this report is the section on suggested approaches for reducing the growing distance between the individual and the state, focussing on improving community links and increased funding to the VCS. The report argues that by supporting social virtues within civil society we can generate positive global change but suggests it is down to central government to implement the decisions needed to make these changes happen. To quote the author this report is not “a manifesto for the future but an indication of a direction of travel”.
Recent comments
Véronique
Third Sector ForesightI’m really pleased that individualism has been integrated to the 3s4 list of drivers. It’s very helpful to look at individualism when trying to understand how people engage. The new version of the Voluntary Sector Strategic Analysis and particularly the chapter on changing participation shows how individualism is impacting on patterns of participation.
Regarding individualism and the personalisation of services, the debate is open as how things will evolve. The House of Commons Children’s Committee has been trying to find out how personalised learning has progressed over the last 4 years. The BBC article Let’s not get personal that refers to this is telling. It concludes that personal learning “was more of a symbolic gesture than a real turning point in education policy”.
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