Individualistinen

Individualistinen is a Finnish adjective meaning “individualistic,” used to describe beliefs, values, or practices that emphasize the autonomy, rights, and responsibilities of the individual over the group. It can refer to personal attitudes, social norms, or political stances that prioritize individual choice, self-reliance, and freedom, sometimes contrasting with expectations of collective obligation or social harmony.

In philosophy and political theory, individualism is a broad tradition that holds the individual as a unit of moral and political value. It underpins liberalism, human rights discourse, and many democratic ideals. In sociology and psychology, individualistinen usage characterizes cultures or contexts where personal achievement, private life, and independence are foregrounded, often contrasted with collectivist orientations that stress interdependence and group goals. The term does not refer to a single doctrine but to a family of positions, ranging from emphasis on personal liberty to market-oriented or self-directed approaches to life.

In cultural studies and cross-national comparisons, scholars discuss individualism as a cultural dimension, notably in frameworks such as Hofstede’s dimensions and Triandis’s work. These discussions distinguish attitudes about self-reliance, privacy, and individual responsibility from communal or family-centered values. The label is commonly applied across various domains, including education, work, and the arts, to describe tendencies toward independence or emphasis on individual experience.

In Finnish usage, individualistinen describes a tendency or attitude rather than a fixed ideology. Related forms include individualismi (individualism) and individualisti (an individualistic person). The term is widely used in discussions of social policy, culture, and personality, often in relation to how much emphasis a society places on individual autonomy versus collective welfare.