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Lexicon78 said:
Yes, I guess being an individualist, in my opinion, is quite selfish. I really don't know where I get my ideas from since I was born and raised in the US. I think it is just completely wrong to do something for yourself if it's not gonna benefit other people. I'm really against things like that.


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I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. It depends on the context and such. I think for something like academic achievement, it's much better to be more of an individualist as far as working towards doing your personal best, etc. Of course, having a bit of collectivist in you might lead you to work in study groups, and to help out your fellow students (within the rules, I guess), which also can help you do better. (Hmmm, I suppose I lean more towards collectivism, too). But if the other folks in your class or group did not do as well as you, would it be fair to give everyone in the class the same grade for the group's efforts and achievements? Or should each be graded on their own efforts and abilities?

I think both serve their purposes, but like everything else, it might be more effective to hold some traits of both or to be more moderate. But then, what makes this world so interesting is the diversity of beliefs, cultures, personalities, and so on.

Clearly I'm in a serious "hedging" mood today.

gg