Individualism and privacy

Let’s look at a few of these values more closely, one of the guiding principles in american society is the value of individualism, which has a long political and historical basis. This value affects many aspects of vtypically “american” behavior and attitudes, including the attitude toward privacy. Some foreigners do not understand the american “brand” of privacy. As an example, let’s look at what sometimes happens when american bussiness people go to japan. Their japanese counter parts meet them at airport, and often, from the beginning of the trip to the end, they take care of the americans, rarely leaving them alone. After a certain point, many americans feel that they want to be alone and that they need more privacy. It is not uncommon to hear an american say something like “they are really nice and friendly, and they take good care of me, but i just want some time to myself”.

Americans went and value privacy. Privacy, to an american, does not mean isolation or loneliness. However, this is sometimes the way it is interpreted by people of different cultures. Certain language, such as Arabic, Russian, and japanese, do not even have an exact word for privacy. It does not mean that these cultures have no concept of privacy. However, when and how privacy expressed maybe different from when and how the “american” concept is expressed. Americans may feel the need to give people their privacy or to have their own privacy at times when a person from another culture might not feel the need. In some americans homes, parents and children do not enter each other’ rooms without first knocking. This emphasis on privacy exists because individuals feel that their needs must be respected. In contrast, in group-oriented societioes people respect needs of group before considering those of the individual.