Structure of society

The Structure of society was eloquently expressed by nineteenth century philosopher & economist John Stuart Mill who wrote, "The only freedom deserving the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it... Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as  seems good to the rest."
 
    This way of thinking has become so ingrained that we rarely pause to consider that it may be not universally shared ideal - that we  may not always want to make a choice , or that some people prefer to have their choices prescribed by another. But in fact the construct of individualism is a relatively new one that guides the thinking of only a small percentage of the world's population. Let's now turn to the equally rich tradition of collectivism and how it impacts people's notions of choices across much of the globe.
 
    Members of collectivist societies, including Japan, are taught to privilege the 'We' in choosing, and they see themselves primarily in terms of groups to which they belong, such as family, coworkers, village or nation. In the words of Harry Triandis, they are "primarily motivated by the norms of, and duties imposed by, those collectives" and "are willing to give priority to the goals of these collectives over their own personal goals," emphasizing above all else "their connectedness to members of these collectives." Rather than everyone looking out for number one, it's believed that individuals can be happy only when the needs of the group are met.
 
    For example, the Japanese saying makeru ga kachi  (literally "to loose is to win") expresses the idea that getting one's way is less desirable than maintaining peace and harmony.The effect of collectivist world view go beyond determining who should choose. Rather than defining themselves solely by their personal traits, collectivist understand their identities through their relationships to certain groups. People in such societies, then, strive to fit in and to maintain harmony with their social in-groups.

By Sheena Iyengar