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Ryan Moore
Mr. Turley
English 1 Honors
19 May 2016
Individualism vs. Collectivism
There are thirty seconds left in the Super Bowl! The score is tied, and your team has the ball,
the touchdown is fifteen yards away. Down Set Hut! The ball is snapped and the play develops,
you get the ball, break a tackle and dance your way into the end zone. That was the final play of the
game! You and your team just won the biggest game of your life! Now you get all the praise from your
teammates, the media, and your fans because of what you did. However, you did not do this all by
yourself. You had lots of help from different people along the way, including your teammates, coaches,
friends and family members. These people have supported and challenged you to be all that you can
be. Even though you received help, at the end of the day, you are still an individual trying to pursue
your own personal goals. Individualism is the idea that an individuals life belongs to him and he can
live freely. Now imagine that, you live in a society where the government controls everything, and they
only allow you to do so much. For instance, you and your community all have to dress the same, and
they take away all entertainment. You are all a collective unit. A collectivism society believes that the
society is more important than your own personal beliefs. It is my belief that individuals are more
important than society because you can live the life that you want to live, do what you want to do, and
you do not have to be dependent on others.
Being an individual is very unique compared to collectivism because you are free to go after
your own dreams and do what you want to do. According to Fredrick Douglass, individualism leads to
the pursuit of happiness. (Biddle, 2012) Being an individual leads to happiness because you get to

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live your own life, the one you choose for yourself. Suppose you have always wanted to be a lawyer, in
this society, you are allowed the opportunity to follow that dream. Individualism can also positively
impact having relationships with others. Your mood and emotions are affected by the people you
surround yourself. In individualism, you get to choose whom you love and whom you want to marry.
On the other hand, an example in collectivism, you may have to participate in an arranged marriage
where you do not get to choose who you marry and could ultimately marry a stranger. These examples
prove just how much a particular society can help or harm your emotions due to your freedom of choice
or lack of it.
Individualism allows you become independent and not have to rely on other people all the time.
In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss the main character, made an alliance with some
other kids her age who didnt really know anyone else and who were very kind loving people who
didnt want to be participating in the games. She made a pact with these few people for their protection
and resources. During the hunger games sadly, her alliances slowly started to die off so, she left the
alliance and went off on her own, setting traps, and becoming a vicious hunter. Because of this, she
was the winner of the hunger games that year. (Collins, 2008) This example clearly shows how you are
not always able to rely on others because when they are gone, you will struggle with being independent
and fending for yourself. Whereas individualism allows you to be independent, on the opposite end,
collectivism teaches you to be reliant on others and do everything as a group.
The idea of a Collectivism society does not allow you to build upon yourself. Instead, you do
everything for the community. Despite the evidence against individualism, many people believe
collectivism is more valuable because the people involved feel that they are supported; and believe that
they are happier. They do not actually realize that they are not benefiting from being a part of that
society. They do not realize that in individualism you can also be part of a group, but still maintain

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your own independence. A clear example of this is in George Orwells, Animal Farm. The animals in
the story failed to realize that they were all following a bad leader. They worked hard for a leader who
treated them unfairly and with cruelty (Orwell, 1956). This argument of collectivism is strong but not
strong enough because the people are not growing and developing, they are staying stationary whereas
the people who are following individualism are growing and developing more and more each day.
In conclusion, individuals are more important than society because as an individual, you can
live the life you want to live, you can do what you want to do, and you do not have to be dependent on
others. If you enjoy being told what to do, and do not mind having control over your own life because
you want to help only the society you are in, then you may be better off in a collectivism society.
However, if you value your own thoughts, hopes and dreams, and your goal is to live your life the way
you want to, pursue your own personal dreams, and love the person you want to love, then you too, will
believe that an Individualism society is much better than a Collectivism society.

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Works Cited

Biddle, Craig. Individualism vs. Collectivism. The Objective Standard, Vol.7, No.1
May 2016 Web. https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2012-spring/individualismcollectivism/
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York. NY: Scholastic Inc, 2008. (195-208). Print.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Orlando, FL: Signet Classics, 1956. (91-111). Print