Olivier L. - 08:31am Oct 10, 2001 (#1 of 12)

Les américains voient plus l'individualisme comme quelque chose de positif, lié à la liberté (réminiscence des fameux "self-made men?). Alors que les français le rapproche de mots plus négatifs. tels que: isolation, mauvais...

Yes, Americans tend to perceive individualism as a positive trait, but we value community as well. Americans like to think differently and lead, but not all Americans relish that role. Individualism isn't seen as isolation, it's seen as being a free thinker, unique and strong willed.

I agree with Andrew. In America, individualism is encouraged. The connotation of the word implies freedom, independence, and uniqueness, all of which are considered good and necessary traits. However, conformity is not looked down upon or discouraged. It's a mix between the two: encouraging individualism in some things, while at the same time encouraging conformity in other things.

I think that such a large emphasis is placed on the rights and needs of the individual in America because people here feel that what is good for the individual is good for the nation. We want a government that will provide for the common defense, but beyond that government can only decrease our ability as individuals to decide for ourselves how to appropriate our wages and our time. This is why the individual is associated so frequently with liberty-- because when the needs of the individual are served, so are the needs of the whole population.

All those students who have said individualism is a negative thing, do you mean it is completely negative, or only negative when in excess?

It seems to me that it is a vital thing to any society to some extent, since recognizing individuals leads to rights and democracy. However, too much of a good thing is not good, so that excessive individualism leads to social problems.

Don't the French students agree that SOME individualism is indispensable though?

Je pense que la raison pour laquelle on a une telle différence est que en France, étant un pay plûtot socialist, le travail en groupe est promouvu tandis qu'aux Etats-Unis, on vous apprend à être different, à discuter beaucoup en cours et à avoir de la créativité.. en totale, à être un individual.

I don't understand why such a negative connotation is associated with individualism. It seems that people's thoughts on individualism are somewhat conservative.

I can understand Han Lun's comment that individualism is politically at odds with republicanism. Nonetheless, in a country with such a rich history of fine arts, philosophy and scientific development, all of which are attributable to individual contributions, how can individualism be regarded as uniformly bad?

En fait, l'individualisme n'est pas non plus considéré très négativement en France. Nous le considérons comme une bonne chose tant qu'il reste dans certaines limites. Il ne faut pas qu'il soit démesuré.

I don't think individualism should have a negative connotation per se. But I do believe that sometimes this notion has a very strong influence in America. So, in this sense I agree with Olivier because not everything has to be dictated by what is good for the individual. It implies that there are no limits to the individual's rights. To me, one's rights end where someone else's begin.

I come from Italy and I can definitely tell that at home the notion of "individualism" is always given a pretty bad connotation. Why do you think there is this distiction between Europe and the US on the notion of this term?

-Claudio

L'explication de l' importance de l'individualisme aux USA doit être a mon avis recherchée dans son histoire la plus ancienne. Je me souviens avoir etudié en classe prepa l'importance de la religion dans l'economie d'un pays. Ainsi l'essor du protestantisme, qui valorise fortement le travail individuel a beaucoup contribué au succès des self-made-men. Il s'agit sans doute de l'UNE des origines de l'essor de l'individualisme aux USA.