Axes of altruism/individualism
Date published: 01-04-2024
Last updated: 12-04-2024
this is a note I wrote a while back that I wanted to post here when I figured out how to make tables in html. I finally figured it out, so now the post's done :^)
A big dilemma I face is the question of whether intentions matter even if the outcome is the same. At least when it comes to individual action, I would say that to some degree, it does: it lays the groundwork for future action.
In a moment of particular frustration with the behavior of some of my Japanese acquaintances, I hashed out a framework for interpersonal action.
Here's the framework:
- Intention (i): the mindset or reasoning with which you perform an action or engage with someone or something
- Action (a): what you do and the effects thereof, positive or negative
Each of these can be either altruistic or individualistic. What does that mean?
- Altruism (+): involving other people; the collective
- Individualism (-): involving only oneself
I use - for individualism and + for altruism because altruism requires more (mental) effort.
Individualist intention (i-) would then be the intention to benefit yourself, whereas altruistic intention (i+) would be the intention to benefit others, even over yourself.
Conversely, individualist action (a-) is action that involves only yourself, that is, not bringing others into your action. It may also be non-action. Altruistic intention (a+) then is action that involves others.
Combining the two, we get a sort of table or chart:
| Individualist intention (i-) | Altruistic intention (i+) | |
|---|---|---|
| Individualist action (a-) | Doing things in your own interest (and not caring what the effects on the collective are) | Doing things for yourself because it will benefit the collective |
| Altruistic action (a+) | Doing things for the collective because it will benefit you yourself (but the collective still benefits) | Doing things for the collective because you care about others and want the best for them (collective benefit from the action) |
You might say that (i-a-) produces the same result as (i+a+). That’s not necessarily wrong, but it is much, much harder to convince (i-a-) to engage in altruistic action, even if it’s only (i-a+), which is also the rarest intention/action combination. This is because (i-a-) is incredibly conflict-avoidant, a tendency that many people, but especially Japanese people have.
You could think about (i-a+) as doing something 'for the wrong reasons', in that sense.
This is probably still very confusing, so here is a concrete example:
Imagine someone not wanting to upset their partner by bringing up a problem, not because they don’t want their partner to feel bad, but because they themselves don’t want to feel bad about upsetting their partner. There is a key difference between these two situations.
| Individualist intention (i-) | Altruistic intention (i+) | |
|---|---|---|
| Individualist action (a-) | Avoiding bringing up a problem because upsetting others makes you yourself feel bad | Avoiding bringing up a problem because you do not want others to be upset |
| Altruistic action (a+) | Bringing up a problem because solving it makes you feel good about yourself | Avoiding bringing up a problem because you do not want others to be upset |
The person in question can tell themselves that their actions are (i+a-) while they are actually (i-i-), because the result (action) is the same. This justification results in the unproductive and avoidant behavior continuing.
In especially conflict-avoidant nations such as Japan, it's even worse: Japanese people have a reverse perspective on (a-) and (a+) because they see the extra required effort of (a+) and the possibility of upsetting others as selfish or something to be avoided.
This leads them to engage in highly individualist action, contrary to popular depictions of Japan as collectivist. They do so even if it may lead to bigger problems later down the line.
There's a lot of negotiations around stereotypes, which can get rather sensitive, and understandably so. Note that these are my observations, and that I am painting with broad strokes— there are bound to be individuals who deviate from the larger framework I've outlined. I'm happy to chat about it, so feel free to reach out if you have comments or criticism!
-tono
