Eggert 1

Shae Eggert
Mr. King
English I
23 May 2016
Just Individualism
Kobe Bryant once said, Everyting negative pressure, challenges is all an opportunity
for me to rise. Kobe Bryant is one of the most successful basketball players, and hes been
known to be an Individualist due to owning the court. Kobe Bryant has 31,434 points in his
career, and this is all because hes an Individualist. To identify as an Individualism is the belief
that the needs of each person are more important than the needs of the whole society or group
(Merriam-Webster). In opposition, Collectivism is the personal or social orientation that
emphasizes the good of the group, community, or society over and above individual gain.
(Business Dictionary). People can identify themselves as either a Collectivist or Individualist but
Individualists have personal freedom, and can showcase their intelligence more than a
Collectivist; therefore Individualism is superior to Collectivism.
The stage of self-actualization in Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is based purely on
Individualism. Maslow once said, Human motivation is based on people seeking for fulfillment,
and change through personal growth (Simply Psychology). This is key to Individualism because
Maslow mentions, personal growth, not growth as a whole group. Maslow says in order to
reach self-actualization, people have to accept themselves for who they are, take responsibility,
work hard, know the need for privacy, and be spontaneous in their thoughts and actions. The
characteristics Maslow describes for self-actualization are Individualistic traits, not Collectivist
traits. Unlike Collectivists, Individualists are known to take responsibility and stand out

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positively; these are preferable traits employers look for in their employees. Individualist traits
can help you reach higher achievements in life, which makes it superior to Collectivism.
People think of America as the country full of freedom and liberty, which are both
Individualist traits. America cannot thrive unless its people thrive (The Huffington Post). The
students that are Collectivists, and just follow the group, are less likely to get into the best
colleges. Think about it: colleges look for the students who are hard workers, take responsibility,
and stand out compared to the other students, whether its volunteer work or being involved in
school, colleges look for individualists. Colleges are looking for the class president, someone
who did more than just volunteer once with a bunch of people; theyre looking for someone who
will take risks, and achieve greatness in life. People who identify themselves as Individualists are
more likely to get into college, and succeed in life rather than Collectivists.
Despite the evidence against Collectivism, many people tend to find themselves as
Collectivist because they find it better to work in a group environment for broader perspective on
topics. Those people fail to see that Collectivism doesnt show individual skills. For example, if
someone worked really hard on a group project doing most of the work, but everyone gets the
same grade because it was done as a group project, their individual work isnt being
recognized. Instead of one person getting the credit they deserve, the whole group gets credit.
Those who believe Collectivism is better than Individualism think, In order to increase selfimage they enhance the status of the group which they belong. (Simply Psychology). So
because they are enhancing themselves, essentially they say theyre enhancing the whole group.
Although aspects of this argument are enticing, it ultimately fails to be a stronger argument
because enhancing a self-image is technically Individualism, and the statement above from the
source says they do it for the group, but Individualism comes first. Theres a saying, Me before

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we, which is the idea that someones own needs come before someone elses. This supports
Individualism completely because the idea of Individualism is that they showcase their skills
before anyone else's.
Individualists are able to showcase their skills more than a Collectivist; therefore
Individualism is superior to Collectivism. Individualists are stronger than Collectivists because
Individualists are clearly stronger and more successful in life. Individualists create healthy
competition between each other, and therefore are clearly the better choice between Collectivism
and Individualism.

Works Cited
Graham, Stedman. "Your Identity Matters." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21
Aug. 2013. Web. 23 May 2016.
McLeod, Saul. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Simply Psychology. Simply Psychology, 17 Sept.
2007. Web. 23 May 2016.
McLeod, Saul. "Social Identity Theory." Social Identity Theory. Simply Psychology, 2008. Web.
23 May 2016.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.

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"What Is Collectivism? Definition and Meaning." BusinessDictionary.com. Business Dictionary,

n.d. Web. 23 May 2016.
"What Is Collectivism? Definition and Meaning." BusinessDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
May 2016.