system of values and norms - or to be more general - a kind of lived practice. The
individual “I” as a member of social groups adopts partially or entirely different
group values and behaves in specific situation in a manner which is the lived prac-
tice within the group. The degree of conformity between “I” and “the other” de-
pends on the individuality of the “I”', which is the second key determinant of indi-
vidual behavior. “To be individual” stands for individuality, the internal process of
self-reflection, and the unique human nature and soul. This part of the human
being is responsible for an autonomic individual who acts independent of social
roles, values and beliefs in the society. Simmel (1919, p. 387) describes these two
constituting parts of an individual as a dialectic relationship. Hence every human
being is at the same time partly individual and partly social. Therefore, the individ-
ual and the society are in a permanent mutual correlation. The degree of conformi-
ty of individuals in regard to social roles within a specific group depends on their
degree of individuality.
Figure 1: The two parts of an individual5
|
to be individual |
to be part of |
Values, lived practice
Values, lived practice
Values, lived practice
Values, lived practice
Internationalization confronts the individual “I” with “the foreign other”, whose
relationships to various social groups in the “foreign” society are different than
one’s own.6 The “foreign other” has as well a different individuality, combining his
personality with his social aspects. The degree of confrontation with the “new”
depends clearly on the intensity of relationship between the “I” and “the other”:
the frequency of their contacts, their individual capabilities of communication, the
context of that communication, whether they are forced to communicate, to coop-
5 Lenz, 2008, p. 9.
6 Of course every individual is individual and therefore different. It would be difficult to distinguish
between more and less different individuals. Hence the expression “foreign other” is solely used
for illustration of the difference, as compared to the “New”, but can’t be exactly defined.