What was the significance of individualism

Thus becoming more individualistic might decrease Japanese happiness because interpersonal relations are an important source of happiness in Japan e. We examined the relationship between individualistic values, subjective well-being SWB , and number of close relationships in Japan and the U. Study 1 tested the hypothesis that individualistic values would be associated with a decrease in the number of close friends and SWB in Japan, but not to close friends and SWB in the U.

Furthermore, to examine the effect of individualistic values and structural systems, Study 2 tested if decreases in the number of close relationships and SWB would be found in a sample of adults working in an individualistic environment in Japan.

We predicted that even in a workplace that has individualistic systems and requires individualistic values, individualistic values would be negatively related to the number of close friends and SWB for Japanese workers. Study 1 investigated whether individualistic values would have different effects on SWB across cultures.

This scale assesses 11 domains of self-worth e. Factor analysis in each culture indicated that 9 of the 11 domains fell into two factors, namely, individualistic orientation e.

The other two domains support of family and virtue were dropped from the analysis because of the low factor scores. Participants completed four scales to assess their SWB. Second, the Interdependent Happiness Scale Hitokoto et al. Third, we assessed positive and negative affect. Positive affect was measured with 11 items e. Fourth, we measured somatic symptoms 11 symptoms; e. All of these items have been successfully used in a survey of Midlife Development in the U.

All of these scales had satisfactory internal consistency 0. The number of close friends was measured using a sociogram Kitayama et al. Participants were asked to draw circles representing themselves and their friends on a paper and to connect related persons with lines within 10 min. After this was done, they were asked to identify the friends with whom they feel comfortable.

The average raw scores of individualistic and collectivistic orientations are shown in Figure 1. The individualistic orientation score was significantly higher for the U. Raw scores of individualistic and collectivistic orientations in Japan and the U.

Study 1. Bars represent the standard error. Due to generally consistent results across the four SWB measures, a single SWB index was developed using a principle component analysis Table 1. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine how individualistic and collectivistic orientations affected SWB in each culture 3.

In contrast, in the U. Standardized regression coefficients predicting subjective well-being in Japan and the U. TABLE 1. We conducted a mediation analysis to test whether the number of close friends mediated the effect of an individualistic orientation on SWB. The distributions of the numbers of close friends were positively skewed.

Thus, we transformed the values by computing their common logarithm plus 1 , which produced an approximately normal distribution using the same analysis proposed by Kirkpatrick et al. In Japan, an individualistic orientation was associated with fewer close friends. Moreover, the number of close friends positively predicted SWB, even after orientation was controlled.

Therefore, in Japan the number of close friends mediated the effect of an individualistic orientation on SWB Figure 3. In contrast, we did not find such a relationship in the U. Mediation effect of the number of close friends between individualistic orientation and SWB in Japan and the U. Path coefficients on the left side of the arrows from individualistic orientation to SWB indicate standardized regression coefficients when individualistic orientation is a single independent variable.

Those on the right side of the arrow indicate standardized regression coefficients when both individualistic orientation and the number of close friends are independent variables. Gender and age were controlled.

As predicted, in Japan an individualistic orientation was negatively related to SWB, but not in the U. In addition, in Japan, the number of close friends mediated the negative effect of an individualistic orientation on SWB.

This suggests that if people in Japan try to be independent and achieve individualism, they will have difficulty forming and maintaining close friendships. Interestingly, however, there was no relationship between an individualistic orientation and the number of close friends in the U.

Therefore, we concluded that the effect of individualistic values differs between Japan and the U. Specifically, individualistic values in Japan were associated with a deterioration in close relationships and a decrease in SWB, whereas individualistic values in the U. Study 1 revealed that in the U.

However, these results might be questioned if the negative impact of individualistic orientation in Japan was due to the conflict between individualistic orientation in personal level and the collectivistic social structure. Therefore, in Study 2, we chose a sample of women working in an individualistic-orientated workplace to examine whether negative impact of individualism found in Study 1 could be generalized to an individualistic-oriented working environment in Japan.

We examined whether people with individualistic orientations working in an individualistic social structure would exhibit the same negative effects of individualism as exhibited by the Japanese participants in Study 1.

The data of two participants who reported they had lived abroad for more than 5 years were excluded. In this insurance company, performances and achievement-oriented goals are explicitly displayed on the wall e. Raw scores for individualistic and collectivistic orientations in the adult and student samples are shown in Figure 4. Raw scores of individualistic and collectivistic orientations in adult samples and student samples in Japan. The results were consistent with Study 1; an individualistic orientation was negatively associated with both SWB and the number of close friends Figure 5.

However, importantly, individualistic orientation had a negative relationship with both SWB and the number of close friends. Effect of individualistic orientation on SWB and number of close friends in Japanese individualistic-oriented environment Study 2. Path coefficients on the left side of the arrow from individualistic orientation to SWB indicate standardized regression coefficients when individualistic orientation is a single independent variable.

Age was controlled. We found that an individualistic orientation was negatively associated with the number of close friends and SWB even for women working in an individualistic-oriented workplace. This result was the same as in the college sample in Study 1; however, we did not find a mediating relationship of close friends.

One explanation for the lack of relationships between the number of close friends and SWB might lie in the sample; specifically, for the women working in an individualistic-oriented workplace, the achievement of individualistic goals required in the workplace may be more important to SWB than positive relationships with others. The result suggested, however, that even in an achievement-oriented environment in Japan, achievement-oriented individuals feel lower SWB and have fewer close friends.

Thus, it is indicated that Japanese with individualistic orientations have fewer close friends and feel lower SWB. We examined the effect of individualistic values on SWB in two studies.

Study 1 demonstrated that an individualistic orientation was not associated with decreased SWB in the U. Furthermore, Study 2 showed that an individualistic orientation was also associated with a decrease in the number of close friends and SWB for adult women working in an individualistic-oriented workplace. The narrow individualism of the nineteenth century refused to recognize the social duty of supporting somebody else's grandmother. Was there ever to be in human life more than that endless struggling individualism?

Under the new conditions Individualism will be far freer, far finer, and far more intensified than it is now. The question is whether it would be for the good of Individualism p. A view that stresses the importance and worth of each person. In economics , it is the doctrine that individuals best serve the public interest by pursuing their own self-interest. For example, the businessman who expands his company to increase his profits also creates jobs for many people and thereby serves the public interest.

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