dual needs and desires (we) and those of society (they) why shouldnt our needs take precedence over the needs of others. This mentality leads to Elshtains second concern. Translating Wants into Rights. Individualism, as expressed in the previous sections, is both a negative, as well as a positive notion. In the positive sense, individualism expresses courage to challenge the status quo and expression of unique individual identity (positive non-conformity). 21st Century individualism, however, has developed what Tocqueville warned would be the inevitable conflict between the principles of individualistic self-interest and public good. The foundation of this development seems to be the rapidity with which America has grown from a powerless colonial state to a fully industrialized nation. The result increased marginality, requiring the redevelopment of the individuals place in society (Davies, 1963), increased instability of a more mobile society (Arieli, 1964), societal fragmentation, with individuals finding it harder to identify with their society and communities (Taylor, 1991), and, organizations which become independent entities with personalities that supercede the individuals within (Kurtz, 1969). Essentially individuals become increasingly dislocated from traditional community, losing the benefit of social stability and belongingness. As a fundamental need, individuals long to be part of something The social needs are those that arise from the deep desire people have to get together, be together, and stay together (Davies, 1963: 31). If individuals are no longer able to fulfill this social need through community stability, they search for it through means that are more transitive, i.e., through like-minded individuals and groups. Such groups offer a stable and comfortable forum that can provide both the social need for belongingness, as well as stand the rigors of a mobile, marginalized, and fragmented society. The r...
