Exploring Methodological Individualism Essay

Many children have had the desire to step out of their parents’ shadows and follow their dreams no matter how wild and crazy they might be. Christopher McCandless was more than an average young man trying to escape his parents’ control. He established his lifelong journey to live off the land by following the wise and spiritual ways set forth by Henry David Thoreau and others. He changed his identity to Alexander Supertramp, a character who is pure and cleansed of the artificial grime of the modern world. His voyage led him to his quest for knowledge and fulfillment, as well as his ultimate challenge. Chris McCandless’s self-forged identity was a true Transcendentalist venture because his journey encompassed the ideas and beliefs

We’ve all know what it feels like: walking down the halls in middle school or high school while you feel like you’re being watched…analyzed…critiqued. It would almost seem like every person you passed would be silently judging you for what you’re wearing, how you applied your makeup, how you did in the last soccer game, or what they heard you did with Jonny. The passerby’s in the hallway would place you on the high-school-hierarchy-of-coolness scale based on superficial characteristics even before getting to know you. Adolescence is a time of learning and forming an identity but it’s also a time where you are constantly being watched and evaluated by your peers, sometimes even put down by physical or verbal means. Bullying has always been

Individualism is the idea that a person’s life belongs to them and that they have an absolute right to live it as they sees fit. The people of modern society have the right to pursue the values of their choosing. As an individual we have our own opinions, this gives us the freedom to expand our life in ways we couldn’t

I strongly believe that individuality should be valued over conformity. Today I will tell you how precious and rare individuality is, and why we should value it over conformity.

Individualism-> when you value the freedom and worth of the individual, sometimes over the security and harmony of the group or a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence

Person centred theory came from Carl Rogers who believed in being warm, genuine and understanding make a difference in clients’ condition and its improvement. Believes and values are very important in person centred thinking and planning. Carl Rogers identified three main core conditions that have a significant influence when supporting vulnerable people, which are an unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. However, later on he expands his list to a six core conditions in total.

Eric Mack’s essay “In Defense of Individualism” provides a basic outlook of individualistic personalities and interactions that are prevalent throughout society. Mack gives definitions of different theories in individualism, breaking the encompassing thought

     The descriptive claim made by Psychological Egoists is that humans, by nature, are motivated only by self-interest. Any act, no matter how altruistic it may seem on the outside is actually only a disguise for a selfish desire such as recognition, avoiding guilt, reward or sense of personal ‘goodness’ or morality. For example, Mother Teresa is just using the poor for her own long-term spiritual gain. Being a universal claim, it could falter with a single counterexample. And being that I believe this claim to be bunk I will tell you why!

“People act for many reasons; but for whom, or what, do or should they act—for themselves, for God, or for the good of the planet?” (Moseley) An egoist would argue that one acts for one’s own self. More specifically, an ethical egoist is one who thrives to improve ones own self being, with much respect to morality. Ethical Egoism is the theory that one should pursue his or her own interest above all the rest. It is the idea that all persons should act from their own self interest in relation to morality.

1) An individualist is considered to be someone with personality and character, someone who is not easily intimidated by social pressure or customs, someone with a personal opinion and a singular view of the world. Because modern society finds it important that people think independently, decide autonomously and take personal initiatives, the concept of individualism has acquired a positive connotation. However, individualism is also linked with the tendency to withdraw from social life and turn in towards oneself.

There is a certain innate desire to help others, just as others will feel that same fulfillment for returning that aid. At the same time, however, there is also an inherent yearning to seek out one’s own best interest. This brings about a discussion regarding the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism. To understand the similarities and differences, one must first understand the two concepts including their natures, as well as their doctrines of motivation.

Before taking this course my writing styles and habits were very different. I was the typical procrastinator because I would wait until the night before a paper was due to start it. This did not allow me enough time to properly proofread everything, which resulted in getting points deducted for simple grammatical errors that could have been avoided if I would have had the time to proofread. My writing styles have many strengths and weaknesses and I have been able to improve my writing because of them. I have learned from my strengths and weaknesses how to become a better writer.

The theory of psychological egoism is indeed plausible. The meaning of plausible in the context of this paper refers to the validity or the conceivability of the theory in question, to explain the nature and motivation of human behavior (Hinman, 2007). Human actions are motivated by the satisfaction obtained after completing a task that they are involved in. For example, Mother Teresa was satisfied by her benevolent actions and activities that she spent her life doing. As Hinman (2007) points out, she was likely to reduce in activity if she experienced any dissatisfaction in her endeavors.

In the opening of his selection, he talks about the notion of individuality against collectivism. He states that as man completely isolates himself from society, he is in complete dilemma because he is not aware of what is good from bad. Furthermore, he does not have any identity because he cannot distinguish himself

One of the facets of living within civilized society is that there are certain norms and social conventions that people must follow. Frequently, there is a large effort on the part of government, financial, and social institutions to keep people doing most of the same thing as others going to work, driving cars, buying homes, etc. Despite the fact that people engage in these efforts individually, the simple fact that they are all attempting to do the same thing, in much the same way, is indicative of the fact that they are engaged in collective behavior. THESIS: Those who are able to overcome collective behavior and allow for their individuality to determine their own outcomes exemplify the best of human nature.