Individualism is defined as the process of being self-reliant & dependent upon oneself, own skills & abilities. 

It is contrasted with collectivism by the fact that it focuses on doing things oneself & not being dependent on others. It emphasizes upon the principles of personal growth, self-sufficiency & autonomy.

Advantages:

1. Sense of freedom & independence, deciding on oneself & helping oneself (& immediate family).

2. Lack of people’s opinions, so some things that requires clear thinking is done easily.

3. Often tasks & things, which are independent of one another, could be accomplished easily.

4. It allows for more creativity & an interesting society.

Disadvantages:

1. One of the problems associated with individualism is that of selfishness, where people tend to be self-centered.

2. To attain some crucial goals, relationships with networks are important for getting assistance. However, it may be a difficult proposition in situations where individualism prevails.

3. There may be chances where people may be left behind, once they are not able to cope up with the pressures.

4. Due to lack of groups, chances are people may use the resources for self-satisfaction or misuse it as there is no one to restrict.

Ways to Measure Individualism

A metric has been developed trying to focus on how we could measure the individualism aspect. One of the popular measures is using the Hofstede Index, that deter mines how individualistic or collectivistic a company is.

Implications of Individualism

1. Individualism represents a way of life & of the society, representing freedom & making one’s own decision.

2. Even though group work remains important, it is through self-realization & individual analysis that things get improved.

3. Since things are to be done on your own, self-motivation & confidence should be high for the individual.