Focusing on the ‘me,’ becoming self-reliant and assigning less importance to what others think or do is certainly a healthy philosophy; it’s been related to a happier life in that people feel empowered to put their own interests first. These values are widely experienced as part of ‘individualism;’ the idea that freedom of thought and action for each person is the most important quality of a society, rather than shared effort and responsibility. A 2017 study published by Psychology Science explains that as countries become more economically developed, society can see a rise in a greater sense of self-reliance and detachment from others. Coupled with our exposure to exabytes of information with the click of a button, the freedom of choice is constantly expanding and so too is the individual’s selection of how to spend their time. In the competition for attention there are winners and losers, and by no means does the playing field end where the workplace begins.
Why individualism should be considered by EHS professionals