Paradox of Individualism

The "Lone Ranger"

An overly zealous focus on individualism is one of the mechanisms furthering the disconnection between people. Individualism, especially toxic individualism, also plays a role in aiding the disconnection from our own selves. It would seem paradoxical that individualism would do so, as we might intuitively expect that greater attention to the individual would bring us closer to our selves. However, when we explore this in greater depth, we find that individualism, in the way it is expressed in westernised cultures, dislodges us from who we really are.

Individualism, particularly toxic individualism, seems to be more associated with men than with women. Although the term rugged individual is of fairly recent origin, coined by US President Herbert Hoover, stories and myths of this archetype stretch back at least as far as Greek and Roman mythology. Many of us will have heard of, or read of, the exploits of heroes such as Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Hercules, Romulus, and Remus. Within Norse mythology we know of Odin, Thor, and Hodr. In English mythology we have the rugged individual myths of Beowulf, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. All men. There have been female heroines, although many of us would be hard pressed to name many of them.

More latterly the myth of the rugged individual has been portrayed in Hollywood style Westerns. Butch Cassidy, Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill, Davy Crockett, the Lone Ranger, and others have all etched their rugged individual heroism onto the minds of young boys growing up in the first half of the 20^th century. Those growing up in the latter half of that century were habituated by male heroes such as James Bond, Indiana Jones, Magnum, Rambo, Jason Bourne, and Neo (hero of the blockbuster movie The Matrix.)

These rugged individuals do not need others to fulfill their destiny, they are highly resilient, and can withstand a hail of bullets, leap from burning buildings, and of course, save the threatened damsel in distress. The hero rises above his pain, is always in control, and never vulnerable. It is one of the most toxic archetypes young men can be exposed to. It is an absurd and unattainable self.

The educator, writer, scholar, and one of the western world’s true Elders, Joanna Macy answered a question during a 1999 interview by saying, ‘The myth of the rugged individual, riding as the Lone Ranger to save our society, is a sure recipe for going crazy.’ The word crazy here may have been used hyperbolically by Macy, yet she was also stating something quite literal. Rugged individualism is often statistically correlated with mental attributes we might label as crazy.

Rugged individualism (akin to toxic individualism) promotes an outlook that views other people as competitors rather than as peers. Accordingly, such an outlook fosters self-promotion and, in its extreme form, narcissism. Furthermore, rugged individualism cultivates a belief that one can, and should, solve one’s own problems, even if the solving involves addictive behaviours, such as alcohol and drug misuse, or gambling. A person entrenched in the mythology of the rugged individual is unlikely to be able to reach out for help, further aggravating the likelihood of resorting to unhealthy behaviours.

The psychologist and grief counsellor, Francis Weller, likens the rugged individual archetype to a prison and says, ‘We are imprisoned by this (hero) image, forced into a fiction of false independence that severs our kinship with the earth, with sensuous reality, and with the myriad wonders of the world. This is a source of grief for many of us.’¹

Sadly, when individuals come to this grief, and crash headfirst into recognising that individualism does not benefit them, the illusion is so firmly entrenched that it becomes extremely difficult to break away from the addictions, habits, and obsessions that have arisen to shore up the false sense of invulnerability.

In a strange twist of ironic proportions, the self-improvement, self-development, and human potential movements of the 1960s and 1970s intensified the myth of individualism. These movements thought that social change would come from individuals improving themselves and this in turn would usher in a new era of improved social conditions. Sadly however, with their emphasis upon the individual these movements inadvertently became the crucible for intensifying the shift towards an individualistic viewpoint. One of the tools utilised in these movements was personal affirmations, which on first glance, look and sound innocuous enough. However, the first item in a recent google search identified a list of 99 affirmations.² Significantly, 67 of these affirmations began with the first-person singular pronoun I and another 10 with the pronoun My. Of the 99 affirmations listed, all but 7 of them included the first-person singular pronouns I, me, mine, and/or myself. That is; 93% of the affirmations were about the individual. What is wrong with this, the reader may ask?

Some researchers at German Universities have the answer to that question. In 2015 they found that their ‘present study unravelled some important insights into the link between first-person singular pronoun use and symptoms of depression and anxiety.’³ Furthermore, such pronoun use ‘is positively related to brooding.’ The researchers defined brooding as referring to the ‘(unceasing) passive comparison of one’s current state with desired but unreached states.’ They were quick to point out that brooding is qualitatively different from reflection which they characterised as a ‘purposeful turning inward to engage in cognitive problem solving to alleviate one’s depressive symptoms.’ The two states are qualitatively different, with reflection being beneficial, whereas brooding is harmful. It may be tempting to claim that the affirmations referred to above are examples of reflection. Sadly, however, those advocating the use of affirmations are often aiming their attention at people ‘who need a little extra daily encouragement.’ Continuing to focus on the use of personal pronouns is akin to attempting to put out a fire by continuing to stoke it with wood.

Of course, as any self-respecting statistician will tell you, correlation is not the same thing as causation. Yet, if we trace the incidence of usage of first-person singular pronouns over time, and the incidence of depression over similar periods of time, the correlation is strong.

The word I in the English language was used approximately 4,000 – 5,000 times in every one million words used between 1800 and 1870. After 1870 the usage of this first-person singular pronoun began to decline to less than 2,500 times per million in the early 1980s. Since then, it’s use has climbed rapidly to around 7,000 times in every one million words today. That is, the word I is used 280% more often today than it was less than 50 years ago. Quite some rise!

Similar increases can be noted in the use of me, myself, and my. All since the early 1980s. Me, for example, is now used four times more often today than it was 50 years ago.

If we track rates of depression over a similar time period, we note a steady increase in depressive symptoms, especially amongst young people.

A focus on me, myself, and I is helping to make us more depressed and anxious. Those 99 affirmations seem in radical need of overhaul.

A further noteworthy word is the word narcissism. Many point to a rise in narcissism in recent decades. Indeed, the word narcissist is now used eight times more often in 2025 than it was in 1980. Eight times!

Hence, although the personal-development and human-potential movements began with worthy intentions they were ultimately flawed because they tended to view the world in a dualistic way – the individual as separate from the wider culture.

The rabbit hole of intense self-absorption was opened up, and many of us have followed the rabbit.

 

Notes:

1. Weller, Francis, The Wild Edge Of Sorrow, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA, 2015

2. 99 Positive Morning Affirmations You Can Use Daily - The Good Trade accessed 12 May 2026

3. Brockmeyer et al., Me, Myself, and I: self-referent word use as an indicator of self-focused attention in relation to depression and anxiety, Frontiers in Psychology, October 2015, Vol 6, article 1564