[Abstract] Individualism, the core of the social philosophy and value in American culture, takes up the most important position in the American ideology, influencing all aspects of life ranging from political to social fields. Philosophically speaking, individualism is characteristic of western capitalist political and social philosophy regarding personal value as the most lofty, emphasizing self-control and personal development as opposed to any form of intervention and obstruction against individual by any external factor. As part of the value system and humanitarian theory, individualism is the embodiment and generalization of the attitude and belief toward national politics, economy, religion and social behavior. The value system of individualism is mainly seen in the following fields: individual is the center and core of all values; society is the means to the realization of personal goals in which individual is the only purpose; morally speaking, all men are created equal and each person is entitled to free choice of life style. Since the birth of individualism, it has been influencing American society and has penetrated into every aspects of American life. The reviews of American individualism are varied and are subject to change with time but the promotion of its essence of self-realization remains intact. Based on the historical origin of individualism, this paper discusses the profound causes of its formation and development and the influences it has exerted on different aspects of American life. At the same time, it also discusses different features of American individualism through the comparison between individualism and collectivism under certain historical circumstances to gain a general understanding of American individualism.

[Key Words] culture; individualism; social values; America

1.   Introduction

Individualism, which has various explanations in the British Encyclopedia, is a moral, political, and social philosophy, emphasizing individual liberty, the primary importance of the individual and the “Personal Independence.”[1]P183It is often contrasted with either totalitarianism or collectivism, but in fact it is always taken as the spokesman of spectrum of behaviors ranging from the social level to highly individualistic societies. Individualism embraces opposition to authority, and to all manner of controls over the individual, especially controlled by the political stale or society. It is thus directly opposed to collectivism, which advocates subordination of the individual to the will of the society or community.

“ Individualism is the core of the American culture. It focuses on the satisfaction of one’s own desire and interests through self-reliance. The word individualism was first promoted by the French political reviewer Alexis de Tocqueville in his classical book Democracy in America published in 1835.”[2] P225

In this book, Tocqueville expounded clearly the difference between “Individualism” and “egoism”. Individualism, as a social and political philosophy, emphasizes personal independence and creativity. It holds that personal value was the most lofty, attaching great importance to the notion of self-control and personal development without any form of intervention and obstruction against individual from absolutely power especially the tyranny in a nation’s history, the nation itself, society or any other external factors. This idea is deeply influenced by the earlier individualism promoted by John Locke, the famous British philosopher, also the spokesman of traditional British philosophy where American individualism was ingrained in.

John Locke asserted that human beings as a certain kind of organisms in the universe was the basic unit of nature. In his book The Philosopher of Freedom, he held that selfhood was not constituted and cultivated in the political arena during the processes of socialization but is something inborn, static and natural, the essence of the structure of human being politically determined [3]. P190

The origin of American individualism can be traced back to the beginning years of its history, when first American immigrants came to the North American continent looking for better life and shaking off the yoke of European feudal tradition and the oppression from all kinds of powerful classes. It is determined that elements of anti-yoke and searching for freedom should be the American people’s character. This was the original explanation of American individualism. Concerning this, what American people are always proud of is the Declaration of Independence: “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” [4] P503

American individualism affected almost every aspect of American life. As the Chinese famous professor Li Qirong expounded in his lecture in the Central Normal University of China, individualism has seven reflections in American Culture: