Today, in various parts of the world, individualism is being overly emphasized, which is precipitating an increase in the number of people setting their aspirations and aims above others’. While this development brings about self-sufficiency, over-emphasis on individualism cause predicaments connected with social relations and economic conditions, making it mostly unfavourable.
With the advent of invidiualism comes a rise in personal freedom. This is mainly because of living a life devoid of distractions. As self-centered people prioritize personal goals and desires over collective interests, it facilitates them in focusing all their concentration on achieving them, eventually laying foundation for their imminent development, be it in professional area or in personal life.
Despite this, I remain convinced that this development is largely detrimental for several reasons. Weakened community bonds is the major one. People in different corners of the world are in a relentless pursuit of achieving their personal goals to the point that they have no time to meet family and friends, thereby leading to loss of connections among them. This is coupled with the fact that putting personal interests above everyone else’s is usually accepted as a sign of having a narcissistic personality, a trait that puts off others and is not commonly favoured in society. Such turn of events, in turn, lead those with individualistic lifestyles to have a feeling of alienation as a result of receiving no social support, ultimately leaving them vulnerable to emotional distress.
Aside from a lack of communal belonging, economic deprivation is another negative consequence of individualism. Individualistic societies are so hyper-focused on the idea of independence that they require those reaching the age of eighteen to gain financial and personal freedom by leaving home. The problem with this ideology is that it does not take different backgrounds into account. For example, people from wealthy families can afford to seek self-sufficiency on their own, because their higher education is usually funded by parents, meaning the career path is rather clear for them. By contrast, less fortunate individuals who are already struggling to determine what to do in the next stage of their life without financial support from their families now have to cope with other challenges, such as university funding, basic necessities, and shelter, in the process of becoming independent. People who fail to leave home and obtain independence at this very young age are seen as outcasts, which takes a huge toll on their mental health.
To conclude, true, invidiualism offers certain benefits, one of which is a life where people can fully devote themselves to achieving their goals without any distractions, but I still believe that this development has more negative outcomes, such as the loss of connections with the community and financial challenges. Therefore, in my opinion, it is a mostly undesirable change.