CNCSP 112 (10-1)
Chapter Seventeen
The ME/WE Balance
Tuesday, November 27, 12
No Man Is An Island (we)
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
2
The Road Not Taken (me)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
3
The ME/WE Balance
• ME = individualism
– pursuit of sense of
specialness relative to
others
• WE = collectivism
– trying to maximize one’s
link to others
• ME = focus on one
• WE = focus on the many
• WE/ME = US
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
4
The Psychology of ME: Individualism
• U.S.
– Land of the Rugged Individualist
• Anyone who works hard can
achieve
• Equal rights and freedom
• Me generation
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
5
The Psychology of ME and WE
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
6
All collectivists
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
7
Clinton Quotes
• "I am a fan of the social policies that you find in Europe."
• "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of
the common good. "
• It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government
of the few, by the few, and for the few, and to replace it
with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
• "It's time to put the common good, the national interest,
ahead of individuals."
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
8
Hillary Transformation
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
9
The Psychology of ME and WE
One finger cannot lift a
pebble. - Hopi
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
10
The Psychology of ME: Individualism
• Summary:
– Independence
– Uniqueness
– Self as the unit of analysis
Page 465 Being Alone With Others
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
11
The Need for Uniqueness
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
12
The Need for Uniqueness
Optimal interaction
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
13
The Need for Uniqueness
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
14
The Need for Uniqueness Scale
• Self-report scale
– (see pp. 484-486)
• Higher scores related to higher
self-esteem and less anxiety
• Available in several languages
• Well validated
• Online
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
15
Uniqueness Attributes
• Each society has acceptable attributes
whereby its citizens can show their
differences:
–
–
–
–
Commodities/possessions
Names
Attitudes and beliefs
Performances
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
16
Uniqueness Attributes: Performance
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
17
Uniqueness Attributes: Performance
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
18
Uniqueness Attributes: Performance
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
19
The Psychology of WE: Collectivism
• Hunter-gatherer ancestors
• Power of groups:
–
–
–
–
Contribute to a sense of belonging
Foster personal identities and roles
Offer shared emotional bonds
Help fend off threats
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
20
U. S. Constitution
• “We the People of the United
States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish
Justice, insure domestic
tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote
the general Welfare, and
secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity,
do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United
States of America. “
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
21
The Psychology of ME and WE
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
22
The Psychology of ME and WE
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
23
ME/WE Balance: The Positive Psychology of the USA
• Polarity not good science or productive
• Americans are higher in individualism,
but they are not necessarily lower in
collectivism
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
24
ME/WE Balance: The Positive Psychology of the USA
• Polarity leads to disputes
• Move beyond static view:
– embrace aspects of each
– attend to both the person
and the group
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
25
ME/WE Balance: The Positive Psychology of the US
• To find Balance:
– Suggestions for WE people (collectivists)
– Suggestions for ME people (individualists)
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
26
ME/WE Balance: The Positive Psychology of the USA
• Individualistic views are not
widely shared around the world
• 70% of the world collectivistic
• 4.5 billion collectivists; 2 billion
individualists
The Basic Outline
Tuesday, November 27, 12
27
What were the Key Topics?
What are your clarification questions?
28
Tuesday, November 27, 12
Key Terms (Chapter 17)
•
•
•
•
Collectivism
Individualism
Need for Uniqueness
Pluralistic Ignorance
29
Tuesday, November 27, 12