Viewing the world in terms of relations between socially-embedded but also self-directing individuals, rather than of atomised individuals or inescapable collective structures.
| Individualism | Interrelationism | Collectivism |
|---|---|---|
| The individual human being is considered to possess supreme and intrinsic value or dignity. | Individual human beings are considered to possess value or dignity in their relations with other human beings. | The collective is considered to possess supreme and intrinsic value or dignity. |
| The individual is autonomous; they’re self-directed. | lndividuals are self-directed, though influenced by others. | The individual is subject to the totality of social forces : they’re directed by the collective. |
| The individual ought to be left a private sphere of thought and/or action immune from the incursions of others or a wider ‘public’. | The individual ought to think and act, not only with regard to themselves, but also with others in mind. | The individual ought to think and act solely with the collective in mind. The thoughts and actions of the collective are of ultimate value. |
| The individual can and ought to experience self-development and can do so alone. | Individuals can and ought to develop together, and not at each other’s expense. | The collective ought to experience self-development, irrespective of individual members. |
| The individual is pictured as possessing interests, wants, purposes and needs, etc., independently of any social context. | The individual’s interests, wants, purposes and needs, etc., are affected by their relations with others and so cannot be abstracted from those relations. | The individual’s interests, wants, purposes and needs, etc. are the result of their relation to the collective and so cannot be abstracted from it. |
| Only the individual can be the source of political authority. | Only the relations between individuals can be the source of political authority. | Only the collective can be the source of political authority. |
| The individual should produce in order to satisfy their desires in their own way without regard for others. | The individual should produce in a way which takes into consideration not only their own desires but also those of others. | The individual should produce in order to satisfy the desire of the collective and in accordance with a plan which has been dictated by the collective. |
| The individual is responsible for their own destiny. | Individuals are responsible for both their own and others’ destinies. | The collective is responsible for everyone’s destiny. |
| The source of moral principles is the individual. | The source of moral principles is interpersonal relations. | The source of moral principles is the collective. |
| The individual is the only source and depository of knowledge. | Related individuals are the source of knowledge, and it is dispersed. | The collective is the only source and depository of knowledge. |
| The individual is the basis of all explanations of social phenomena. | Related individuals are the basis of all explanations of social phenomena. | The collective, with its own laws, is the basis of all explanations of social phenomena. |
| Only individuals really exist. | Individuals exist in relations with others. | Only collectives really exist. |
Alan Carter – On Individualism, Collectivism and Interrelationism (1990)