Individualisme ontleed. Een theoretische en empirische analyse van individualisme-discoursen.

Abstract

The idea of individualism has always been a major theme within cultural socio¬ logy. However, there is little theoretical uniformity and coherence about the definition of the term. This has resulted in a conceptual proliferation of new notions like strive for authenticity, self-realization or narcissism, distinctions between concepts like expressive and utilitarian individualism and frequent ‘discoveries’ of new forms of individualism. This often leads to confusion where the same concept designates different cultural discourses or different concepts are assigned to one and the same cultural phenomenon. This paper argues that different variations in contemporary discourses of individualism can be reduced to a com¬ bination of two dimensions, namely the way in which the ‘self’ is presented and how freedom and equality’ are understood. The paper tries to explain the theoretical significance of these dimensions and shows how existing classifications or types of individualism can fit within this scheme. In the empirical part we will operationalize these dimensions on the basis of data from a survey conducted on a random sample of people in 2010 (18-75 years, N: 1967; Flanders, Belgium). Multinomial logistic regression analyzes the distribution and social embedded¬ ness of the various combinations.