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Collectivism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that emphasizes the significance of groups—their identities, goals, rights, outcomes, etc.—and tends to analyze issues in those terms. Collectivism is a basic cultural element that exists as the reverse of individualism (in the same way high context culture exists as the reverse of low context culture), and in some cases stresses the priority of group goals over individual goals and the importance of cohesion within social groups (such as an ingroup, in whichever specific context it is defined). Collectivists usually focus on community, society, or nation. It is used and has been used as an element in many different and diverse types of government and political, economic and educational philosophies throughout history and all human societies in practice contain elements of both individualism and collectivism. Some examples of collectivist democracies include Portugal, India, and Japan. Collectivism can be divided into horizontal collectivism and vertical collectivism. Horizontal collectivism stresses collective decision-making among relatively equal individuals, and is thus usually based on decentralization. Vertical collectivism is based on hierarchical structures of power and on moral and cultural conformity, and is therefore based on centralization. A cooperative enterprise would be an example of horizontal collectivism, whereas a military hierarchy would be an example of vertical collectivism. ==Typology== A popular conception interprets collectivism as mandated adherence to a state or other entity opposed to individual autonomy. It is possible this belief may more precisely refer to Leninism, nationalism, fascism, Maoism, etc. which in the 20th century was often considered the only forms of collectivism. Collectivism has in actuality been observed throughout history and has existed independently of Soviet Stalinism or fascism for thousands of years. As an example of a collectivism before then, the societies that existed along the eastern seaboard of what is now the United States before the Revolution during the 1600s and 1700s were both individualist and collectivist. Hybrid systems such as this, are the most common type of societies seen by social scientists if cultural history is examined worldwide by comparing societies side by side, both then and now. A direct example of Collectivism, would be Minnesota nice. "Minnesota Nice" is a Social Code that all individuals within the State of Minnesota are expected to follow; however, at no time do people go to jail if they break it, the penalties for doing so are minor, and social in nature, but never legal. Military ranks in any military system in the world are also an example of collectivism. Notice that military ranks are backed legally, but "Minnesota Nice" is not. It simply implies to everyone that they should act a certain way (rather than any way they choose, which would be Individualism), and therefore expresses group orientation within a society, and is considered a well-functioning example of Collectivism by Social Scientists. Collectivism has been used to refer to a diverse range of political and economic positions, including nationalism, direct democracy, representative democracy, monarchy, and communism. Collectivism does not need a government or political system to exist (another example of that would be a religious organization that stresses "group goals" within it that is not backed by a government like American or Canadian society), but it can also exist within a political system rather than simply "on the ground". Primarily, Collectivism describes how groups orient themselves naturally within a society. Collectivism can be typified as "horizontal collectivism", wherein equality is emphasized and people engage in sharing and cooperation, or "vertical collectivism", wherein hierarchy is emphasized and people submit to specific authorities. Horizontal collectivism is based on the assumption that each individual is more or less equal, while vertical collectivism assumes that individuals are fundamentally different from each other. Social anarchist Alexander Berkman, who was a horizontal collectivist, argued that equality does not imply a lack of unique individuality, but an equal amount of freedom and equal opportunity to develop one's own skills and talents. Horizontal collectivists tend to favor democratic decision-making, while vertical collectivists believe in a more strict chain of command. Horizontal collectivism stresses common goals, interdependence and sociability. Vertical collectivism stresses the integrity of the in-group (e.g. the family or the nation, for example), expects individuals to sacrifice themselves for the in-group if necessary, and promotes competition between different in-groups.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「collectivism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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