According to both previous research and common belief, Chinese values represent a more collectivist orientation while American values demonstrate a more individualistic orientation. This study attempts to find out whether this assumption is stiII accurate in recent times, given the profound social changes that have taken place in China. Drawing data fkom the World Values Survey (1 995- 1997), this study examines four aspects of collectivist and individualistic orientations in China and America: socialization, work, social relationships, and motivation. While confirming some of my hypotheses and contradicting others, the findings suggest that there are significant indications of value changes in China. Specifically, there is a strong indication of a more individualistic orientation in Chinese values regarding socialization and social relationships than in comparable American values. Furthermore, this study provides some informed conjecture about and explanation of the findings concerning the four aspects of values I examine, as well as suggestions for subsequent research.

En kvantitativ undersökning har genomförts med syftet att undersöka om kulturell inriktning har betydelse för affektiv och kognitiv empati. Studien genomfördes genom en elektronisk enkät via läroplattformen It’s Learning, där urvalet bestod av 250 studenter vid Karlstad Universitet. För att mäta kulturell inriktning användes mätinstrumentet Culture Orientation Scale som mäter vertikal samt horisontell individualism och kollektivism. För att mäta affektiv och kognitiv empati användes The Basic Empathy Scale in Adults (BES-A). Datamaterialet analyserades genom SPSS och två multipla regressionsanalyser utfördes. Resultatet visade att horisontell individualism och horisontell kollektivism var signifikanta prediktorer av affektiv empati där 11,6 % av variansen förklarades. Vidare visade resultatet att vertikal individualism och horisontell kollektivism var signifikanta prediktorer av kognitiv empati där 14,8 % av variansen förklarades. Sambandet mellan variablerna diskuteras utifrån tidigare studier och definitioner. Studiens resultat indikerar på att det är specifika karaktäristiska drag inom de kulturella inriktningarna som har ett samband till den empatiska förmågan. Slutsatsen utifrån studiens resultat samt tidigare studier var att kulturell inriktning har betydelse för empatin, om än dock en liten betydelse. / A quantitative study has been carried out with the aim to examine if cultural orientation has significance for affective and cognitive empathy. The study was conducted through an electronic survey via the learning platform It’s Learning, where the sample consisted of 250 students at Karlstad University. To measure the cultural orientation the Culture Orientation Scale was used, which measure degree of vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism. To measure cognitive and affective empathy the Basic Empathy Scale in Adults (BES-A) was used. The data were analyzed by SPSS and two multiple regression analyzes were. The result showed that the horizontal individualism and horizontal collectivism were significant predictors of affective empathy where 11.6% of the variance was explained. Furthermore, the results showed that vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism were significant predictors of cognitive empathy where 14.8% of the variance was explained. The relationship between the variables is discussed based on previous studies and definitions. The study's results indicate that it is particular characteristic within the cultural orientations that are related to the empathic ability. The conclusion of the study and previous studies was that cultural orientation is important for empathy, however in a small extent.

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo uma aproximação crítica à obra de ficção Kokoro de autoria de Natsume Sôseki publicada em 1914. Como eixo temático central dessa abordagem foi escolhida a tópica do individualismo primordial na obra em foco e em sua fortuna crítica. Inicialmente, no capítulo 1, buscamos traçar as significações centrais do conceito em questão, qual seja, o individualismo na visão de pensadores e escritores ocidentais. Em seguida, no capítulo 2, verificamos como essa noção foi tratada pelo autor, para além do plano ficcional, na palestra Meu individualismo proferida em 1914, texto esse inédito em português que traduzimos para esse trabalho. Finalmente, no capítulo 3, realizamos uma leitura por via da crítica literária do romance Kokoro, sempre com ênfase em nosso recorte temático. / This dissertation is centered in a critical reading of the novel Kokoro, published in 1914, by Natsume Soseki. As the central thematic axis of our research it was chosen the notion of individualism given its importance to the analysed novel and its critical reception. First, in chapter 1, we tried to clarify the concept of individualism and its central meanings. Then, in chapter 2, we examined how such notion has been worked upon by the writer not in his fictional prose, but in a lecture called My individualism, which has been translated for the first time into Portuguese for our specific purpose. Finally, in chapter 3, we have critically examined the novel, always bearing in mind our thematic focus.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if preferences for high- and low context communication differed significantly between individuals from individualistic and collectivistic cultures, living in a multicultural environment. A quantitative survey was used as method and the survey was answered by 150 students at Jönköping University and Uppsala University. Two self-assessment scales, obtained from previous studies were used to measure the degree of the two cultural dimensions and communication styles. Two multiple regression analyzes were performed to investigate the connection between collectivist cultures preference for high context communication and individualistic cultures preference for low context communication, that has been found in previous studies. Two ANOVAs were also performed to investigate differences in communication style depending on sex and length of stay in Sweden. The results partly confirmed previous research, reporting a significant link between high degree of collectivism and high context communication, as well as a higher preference for high context communication among women. / Syftet med föreliggande studie var att ta reda på om preferensen för hög- och lågkontextuell kommunikation skiljde sig signifikant åt mellan individer från individualistiska respektive kollektivistiska kulturer i en mångkulturell miljö. En kvantitativ enkätundersökning användes som metod och enkäten besvarades av 150 studenter vid Högskolan i Jönköping och Uppsala universitet. Två självskattningsskalor hämtade från tidigare studier användes för att mäta graden av de två kulturdimensionerna och kommunikationsstilarna. Två multipla regressionsanalyser utfördes för att undersöka det samband mellan kollektivistiska kulturers preferens för högkontextuell kommunikation och indvidualistiska kulturers preferens för lågkontextuell kommunikation som påvisats i tidigare studier. Det gjordes även två variansanalyser för att undersöka skillnader i kommunikationsstil beroende på kön, och vistelsetid i Sverige. Resultatet bekräftade delvis tidigare forskning, då det visade ett signifikant samband mellan hög grad av kollektivism och högkontextuell kommunikation, samt en högre preferens för högkontextuell kommunikation hos kvinnor.

<p>The political development in the Western world is transforming. Political party participation decreases as well as other non-profit associations. This individualistic development is described as a threat to democracy. Nevertheless, some scholars argue that the political participation is a transformation into a new type of participation that instead could strengthen the democracy.</p><p>The political parties are the foundation of the democratic system and they receive their power by representing the citizens in the decision making process. Yet, the parties transform from organisations with a close linkage to their core groups, to catch-all organisations that aim to maximise votes. Since the goal for parties is to attain as much power as possible, new parties and other political actors have effectively been kept out of political system.</p><p>The individualistic development is observed through the political consumerism in this thesis. The political consumption is described as a political activity where consuming is used as the mean to impact. To actively select products that represent certain values influence companies to work for those values. It is a free individualistic movement without rules. If asked to describe the typical political consumer it would be a young female with a higher education and thus, an income above average. The political consumer prefers to be involved in issues of personal interest rather than broad party politics. Companies are believed to contain a great deal of power in society and must therefore also obtain responsibility.</p><p>The problems associated to political consumerism are connected to poor information. Citizens may make wrong political decisions since the information presented to them is poor or faulty. Another problem is the lack of tools to measure political consumption; we do not know how important it is in comparison to other political activities.</p><p>It is difficult to compare traditional politics with political consumerism since they target different issues and work in different ways. However, political consumerism is not a threat to traditional politics and should instead be recognised as a compliment.</p> / <p>Den politiska utvecklingen i västvärlden håller på att förändras. Deltagandet i politiska partier och ideella organisationer minskar och denna individualistiska trend anses vara ett hot mot demokratin. Dock finns det forskare som hävdar att det politiska deltagandet påvisar en förändring till en ny typ av deltagande som kan stärka det demokratiska systemet.</p><p>De politiska partierna utgör basen för det demokratiska systemet. Partiets makt grundas i att representera medborgarna i beslutsprocessen. Trots det utvecklas partierna från organisationer med en klar koppling till sina kärnväljare till röstmaximerande organisationer som vill attrahera den breda massan. Eftersom partiernas mål är att få så många röster som möjligt har nya partier och andra politiska aktörer effektivt kvarhållits utanför systemet.</p><p>I den här uppsatsen observeras den individualistiska trenden genom politisk konsumtion. Den politiska konsumtionen beskrivs som en politisk aktivitet där konsumtion används som påverkningsmetod. Att aktivt välja produkter som representerar vissa värden påverkar företag att jobba mot dessa värden. Det är en fri och individualistisk rörelse utan klara regler. Den typiska polisiska konsumenten är en ung kvinna med högre utbildning och en inkomst över genomsnittet. De politiska konsumenterna föredrar att involvera sig i frågor av personligt intresse istället för bred partipolitik. Företag anses ha mycket i samhället och måste därför också ta ett ansvar.</p><p>Problemen med politisk konsumtion är kopplade till dålig information. Medborgare kan ta felaktiga politiska beslut när den disponibla informationen är dålig eller oriktig. Ett annat problem är att det saknas verktyg att mäta politisk konsumtion. Vi vet inte hur viktigt fenomenet är i förhållande till andra politiska aktiviteter.</p><p>Det är svårt att jämföra politisk konsumtion med traditionell politik eftersom de jobbar på olika sätt mot olika frågor. Hursomhelst, politisk konsumtion är inte ett hot mot traditionell politik utan bör snarare ses som ett komplement.</p>

No description available.

Health and fitness are two controversial and not easily defined topics that affect people in our modern society every day. We believe that we can find a link between individualism, globalization and the stress concerning weight and appearance ideals. Our bodies have turned into a popular subject for the media, and there is no indication that the interest will decline. As the world gets more artificial, "natural" ideals are getting more attention, such as the concept of a strong and healthy body. But there is also a downside, for example with health issues such as cardiovascular disease increasing following the birth of high-fat diets. The potential risks with these ideals and diets may be great and even be counterproductive. In this essay, we seek out to learn how newspaper and periodicals Aftonbladet, Tara and Iform defines the concept of health and in which way it is described. Our results indicate that health to a large extent is described in terms of sickness and disease, rather than ideals. The results contradicts our hypothesis and we discuss why this might be the case.

This thesis attempts a critical analysis of modern individualism through an examination of its origins in the seventeenth century. In this thesis I discuss the notion of autonomous and self-responsible individuality as a culturally constructed and culturally specific idea. Furthermore, I describe autonomy as only one of a complex of related features of the modern individual, including a withdrawn and objectifying stance toward the natural world, values and other human beings. / In this thesis, I examine two seventeenth-century authors--Robert Burton and John Locke--each of whom represents a different conception of individuality. Burton emulates communal conceptions of identity characteristic of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, while Locke describes an essentially modern, analytical individuality based on the control and possession of an objectified "other". / The theoretical framework for this analysis is derived from Michel Foucault and Timothy Reiss' description of the transition from the Renaissance to the seventeenth century as a transition between different epistemes or discourses. Throughout this thesis, I supplement this essentially structuralist approach with perspectives from Medieval, Renaissance and seventeenth-century cosmology, literary theory, political theory and epistemology.

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo uma aproximação crítica à obra de ficção Kokoro de autoria de Natsume Sôseki publicada em 1914. Como eixo temático central dessa abordagem foi escolhida a tópica do individualismo primordial na obra em foco e em sua fortuna crítica. Inicialmente, no capítulo 1, buscamos traçar as significações centrais do conceito em questão, qual seja, o individualismo na visão de pensadores e escritores ocidentais. Em seguida, no capítulo 2, verificamos como essa noção foi tratada pelo autor, para além do plano ficcional, na palestra Meu individualismo proferida em 1914, texto esse inédito em português que traduzimos para esse trabalho. Finalmente, no capítulo 3, realizamos uma leitura por via da crítica literária do romance Kokoro, sempre com ênfase em nosso recorte temático. / This dissertation is centered in a critical reading of the novel Kokoro, published in 1914, by Natsume Soseki. As the central thematic axis of our research it was chosen the notion of individualism given its importance to the analysed novel and its critical reception. First, in chapter 1, we tried to clarify the concept of individualism and its central meanings. Then, in chapter 2, we examined how such notion has been worked upon by the writer not in his fictional prose, but in a lecture called My individualism, which has been translated for the first time into Portuguese for our specific purpose. Finally, in chapter 3, we have critically examined the novel, always bearing in mind our thematic focus.

No description available.