Editorial: Individualism – an Opportunity or a Threat?

Abstract

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The meanings within which the concept of individualism is located often appear ambivalent for researchers dealing with this issue as well as particular people. Therefore, we have decided to undertake discussion devoted to this subject in our pages.

The word indywidualizm (Eng. individualism), borrowed from French to Polish in the 19^th century, gave rise to the significant family of Polish words exhibiting various meanings. Each of them includes references to the way of the functioning of the subject in the society (cf. individualist, individuation, individuality, individualising, deindividuation, to individualise oneself and many other). The concept of individualism refers to the subjectivity of human functioning, the issues connected with their identity and signifies the way of thinking and acting characterised by dissimilarity and distance towards the actions of the community.

Researchers dealing with these issues draw attention to the early manifestations of individualism in ancient and Christian thought, as well as in the non-Western civilizations. The article by Dorota Mika entitled Individualism in the Middle Ages towards the Linguistic Facts, follows this trend. Memory of medieval individualists, who took advantage of the right to their own, independent thinking and acting, is incorporated in such old Polish words as: bytność (Eng. presence), człowiek Eng. (man), persona (Eng. figure), osoba (Eng. person), dziwak (Eng. freak), obraniec (Eng. the chosen, the appointed), dobrowoleństwo (Eng. free will, one’s own volition, freedom of decision), kazić się (Eng. to violate, break, exceed). The problem of the early “manifestations of individualism” definitely requires comprehensive, independent studies referring to the way it was manifested in the particular historical epochs not only the linguistic level, but also through the works of art, fashion, customs, etc.

Three articles in this volume offer reflections upon the way we use the media, including the Internet, affects the individualistic attitudes of its users. Tomasz Burdzik in his article Between Individualism and Community – Globalisation and Identity indicates that the identity of today’s man is not an experience, but a good to be purchased, thus building the sense of one’s own uniqueness. Contemporary media attempt to direct the recipient’s attention towards themselves, but they do so in a shrewd way, since they encourage to be oneself in a way they suggest it. The article by Wacław Branicki Individualism in the Selected Circles of the New Media, brings brief reflections about genuine individualism, which characterises aristocracy understood in spiritual sense and refers to creating a noble interpersonal relation. The author states that the most important experience of aristocracy understood in this way is contemplation perceived as unselfish examination of values. It is a way of thinking and acting described by ancient and medieval philosophers. W. Branicki presents extensively the influence of social networking services, such as Facebook and Twitter, on the rise of false individualism. The new media create environment with a large number of stimuli, which make it impossible to concentrate and where the development of genuine individuality and noble interpersonal relation is made particularly difficult. Maria Nowina-Konopka in the article The Mirror World of Individualism of the 2.0 Generation discusses the way of thinking and acting represented by people who have been shaped by the unprecedented development of the new media. They are the people who, regardless of their age, regularly use the Web 2.0 tools. Thus, as the author claims, the body of phenomena taking place in the Internet since 2001 can be defined. These result from the evolution of the model of passive participation in consuming the contents included in the Internet to active contribution. M. Nowina-Konopka states that the Internet is treated by numerous representatives of the 2.0 generation as a mirror, in which one can better see their own image, and the need to be genuinely orientated towards others becomes nothing but a passing whim.

Katarzyna Walęcka-Matyja in the article Adolescent’s Individualism and the Family Community System in the Psychological Perspective presented an issue referring to the family system as a sphere of contact between juvenile and parental individualism. The research carried out by the author implies that in the era of the crisis in family cohesion, in most families examined, parents continue to be the source of support for adolescents. The family community system successfully manages the “vogue” both for individualism and collectivism.

The article by Krystyna Duraj-Nowakowa Individualism of Academic Pedagogues: Threats and Perspectives presents reflections within the scope of pedeutology, which imply that it is difficult to explicitly answer the question if it is a positive or negative phenomenon. On one hand, it g chances for development – since it leads to the desired progress. However, on the other hand, it may also pose threat to an individualist and cause their alienation.

The authors of the papers published in this volume dealt not only with the early manifestations of individualism, they showed amazing popularity of individualistic behaviours in the 20^th and 21^st centuries expressed in the new media, but they also took note of the symptoms of the twilight of such attitudes. The title of the article by Magdalena Szpunar The Twilight of Individualism? Around the Concept of Michel Maffesoli’s Neo-Tribes on the Example of Himalayan Mountaineering faithfully renders the contents of this contribution. In contemporary post-modern societies, which are characterised by existential anaemia and the sterilisation of life, tribal bonds revive. It results from the fact that the need to belong, to be part of some community, constitutes an immanent human need. M. Maffesoli devoted his work entitled The Times of the Tribes: the Decline of Individualism in Mass Society to this issue. He describes various contemporary forms of affiliation, including mass hysterics, mass music, sports and religious events, the collective nature of academic work and many other. The author of the article provides an account of this interesting work and presents the issue of Himalayan mountaineering in the context of escaping from the society of tribes as a form of the affirmation of life by experiencing critical situations.

All of the articles incorporated in this volume include reflections upon the essence of genuine and false individualism. They are also present in the text by Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur Individualism as a Concept. An individualist is a man who becomes aware of their right to independent thinking and acting, and takes advantage of it to a greater degree than other people. Human being functions within the society, for which private choices of its members making up the whole body of the actions of all the citizens prove extremely significant. If a particular man makes use of their own right to independent thinking and acting, depends on how they understand the sense of life, what values they hold, what is important for them. Individualists described as genuine, live in accordance with the belief that there is something noble, something that has a deep meaning for their lives. carl R. Rogers calls this phenomenon actualizing tendency. Individualism understood in this way is conceptualised with the use of such evaluative terms referring to people as: a real human being, an outstanding individual, a hero, a personality, or an outstanding personality. According to this perception of the concept, there are very few individualists, i.e. people who are faithful to themselves, people who devote their lives to something great and noble.

We do hope that the reflections and analyses presented in the following issue of the “Horizons of Education” will result in further publications on the positive and negative aspects of behaviours emerging from the individualistic way of thinking.

Wishing inspiring reading

                                                   Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur