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2018 Midterm2 (assignment) Index to Sample Student Midterm2 Answers Part 3. Research Report Starts |
LITR 4340
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Tammy Tran
More
than a Cog in the Machine
A
common association to collectivism is the phrase “a cog in the machine,” meaning
an important but small part of a larger whole. Although it has its similarity to
the idea of collectivism, the phrase is commonly used with a tinge of
negativity, suggesting the person is just an object or tool and almost
insignificant to the bigger picture. In other words, this phrase used to
illustrate collectivism is colored by the lens of individualism. In an effort to
remove the colored lens, I explore aspects of collectivism in order to depart
from simple phrases to describe the ideology. Furthermore, some immigrants come
from collectivist countries, so examining collectivism will illuminate immigrant
identities and how the ideology may affect their assimilation process.
To
start, a general definition of individualism is an ideology that prioritizes the
individual’s identity and values over those of a group. A common example of a
collectivist country is the U.S. because people there tend to value
independence, individual choice and rights, and competition (Leake and Rhonda
21). On the other hand, collectivism is generally defined as an ideology that
values group identity and cohesion over an individual. Many refer to China as a
collectivist nation. Characteristics of collectivism include interdependence,
group roles and achievements, and family (Leake and Rhonda 21). Of course,
reality is always more complicated than labels or categories make them out to
be. Although the U.S. is known for their individualistic ideology, people still
incorporate some collectivist characteristics, like the value of group work
within corporations. The same goes for collectivist countries. The difference is
suggested in the definitions, which is whether the group or the individual is
valued more than the other. However, first understanding collectivism is
difficult when also adding these complexities into the equation. In order to
examine the theory of collectivism more easily, I will refer to people or
nations leaning more towards collectivism as collectivists or collectivist
countries.
Within collectivism, there are two subgroups: vertical and horizontal
collectivism. Vertical collectivism is seeing oneself as part of a group and
accepting hierarchy within the group, while horizontal collectivism is
identifying oneself as an aspect of the group and seeing all members as equals
(Singelis 240). In Candelaria’s “El Patron,” the narrator describes the
hierarchy Dios (God), El Papa (the Pope), and el patron (the boss) cherished by
his father-in-law Senor Martinez, a collectivist (221). This hierarchy is an
example of vertical collectivism, where each respect those above them.
Interestingly, these two subgroups relate to gendered power dynamics in the
family as well. Senor Martinez in “El Patron” is also a vertical collectivist
because he follows the traditional hierarchy of the family, where men has more
authority and women maintains the supporting role (Candelaria 222).
However, the definition of horizontal collectivism suggests that not all
collectivists necessarily stick to traditional gender roles, debunking the
assumption that all collectivists embrace inequality. Additionally, vertical and
horizontal collectivism are not complete separate entities, but may overlap and
work simultaneously on a micro- and macro-level (Lucas). For instance, analysts
working together generally illustrate horizontal collectivism but they are also
working as part of a corporation with supervisors and managers, making it also
vertical collectivism. Again, collectivism is much more complex than a simple
phrase could capture.
Family is generally valued by collectivists. Interestingly, the preferred
definition of family is different for individualists and collectivists.
Individualists tend to define family by the nuclear family while collectivists’
definition include both the nuclear and extended family. It is not to say
individualists do not believe those outside the nuclear family cannot be family,
but that their focus is generally on the nuclear family members. Additionally, a
common term in family research on Latin Americans is familism, which is a social
structure that is centered on family rather than individual demands (Lucas).
This term illustrates the collectivist value of family over the individual,
although that is not to say individualists do not value family; the determining
factor is whether family is viewed as more important than the individual.
Interestingly, collectivist families tend to prioritize their children and
parents while individualist families generally prioritize their romantic spouses
(Lucas). Moreover, Latin American youth tend to disclose more information to
their parents (Lucas) and Asian American youth consistently assist their parents
in later years than white parents in the U.S. (Tseng 980). Nuclear and extended
families are significant to the identity of collectivist people.
Identity refers to the self, so it seems easy to define the self for
individualists because they tend to think about the self frequently. However, it
seems a bit counterintuitive to contemplate how a collectivist sees the self
when he/she/they prioritizes the group over the self. Nevertheless, a
collectivist does have a sense of self, although it may be different than that
of an individualist. Lieber describes the collectivist self as “a locus of
shared biographies: personal histories of people’s relationships with other
people and with other things. The relationship defines the person, not
vice-versa” (72). In other words, the self is not entirely a separate entity
from everything else but part of a vast network of relationships. My mother, an
immigrant from a collectivist country, always tells me that I am not the only
one in my life; my actions affect the family and those around me whether I like
it or not. Interestingly, as a person born in America and raised by immigrant
parents, I seem to possess both individualist and collectivist values that make
up my identity. People born in an individualistic country but are raised by
collectivist parents pick up both ideologies and must negotiate between them.
