A Tale of Two Individualisms (And The Sexual Revolutions They Helped Create)

There’s a difference between “individualism” and “expressive individualism.” 

Individualism is an affirmation of the inherent worth and value of a person. 

To say, “I deserve to be treated with respect and dignity” or “My story matters” is a statement of individualism. 

Expressive individualism (coined by Robert Bellah and others in their work, “Habits of the Heart”) is the belief that the actualization of an individual’s true self requires one to live out what one feels.

Expressive individualism says, “I am what I feel.” “I cannot be who I’m supposed to be until I live out my emotions.” 

The prior acknowledges a worth inherently present while the latter paves a way to achieve a truer self not yet fully realized. 

“So, they mean different things. What’s the big deal?”

We see the impact of these two streams of thought when we view them through the filter of the sexual revolutions they helped give birth to:

1. Individuality and the First Sexual Revolution

Historian Kyle Harper makes the case for how the Christian worldview gave dignity to individuals in Rome in the 2nd century in his work, “From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity (Revealing Antiquity)”

According to Harper, Rome was a shame and honor society in which “systemic exploitation was built into the social and moral order of the Roman world.” It was a cultural norm for those with power (“honor”) to sexually exploit those without power (“shame”).

He contends, however, that the worldview of Christians swung the sexuality conversation from the norms of Rome to “a broadly shared public framework of values and meaning” marked by individual freedom, personal dignity, and the personal responsibility of morality (“sin”) before God. Harper says, “[the] most astonishing development of late antiquity is the transformation of a radical sexual ideology….”

The Christian movement and its affirmation of the dignity of the individual (individualism) as an image-bearer shifted the culture’s view on sex.

2. Expressive Individualism and the New Sexual Revolution

The sexual revolution of the last fifty years is also undergirded by a form of individualism.

Carl Truman, in his work "Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution" contends that “expressive individualism provides the broad backdrop to…what is called the [modern] sexual revolution.”  

The logic is as follows: “If who I am (my true self) is the practice of what I feel, then I am my sexual desires. Morality is to pursue these desires since being my true self is an esteemed virtue.”

This results in embracing the idea of a fluid individual who must discover one’s true self. The primary question is not of inherent worth, but whether an individual takes hold of one’s true self.

This also becomes an invitation to throw off the very ecosystem and structures created by individualism and the first sexual revolution. “Sin” is a social order which limits the pursuit of self-discovery. This is why Truman writes, “…the [new] sexual revolution is the repudiation of the very idea of such [traditional] codes in their entirety….to the point where belief in, or maintenance of, such views has come to be seen as ridiculous and even a sign of serious mental or moral deficiency.” 

Some Concluding Questions

1. Is It Better to Achieve or to Receive My Identity and Sense of Worth?

Every one of us wants to know we’re valuable and worthy. The issue is how this is attained: Is it a personal quest to achieve worth, value, and identity? Or is this a gift to be received?

Individualism seems to tilt towards receiving. It assumes an inherent value and dignity already placed in each individual. The Christian worldview would describe this as the image of God having been placed on every individual. Everyone’s story matters because everyone is wonderfully and fearfully created by God. 

Expressive individualism, on the other hand, seems to tilt towards achieving since one is on a quest to become their true self. I can’t help but wonder if the pursuit of actualization will deliver in the long run. I also can’t help but think this is an exhausting way to live.

2. How Does “Me” Affect “We”?

The question of the welfare of the individual is always tied to the welfare of society.

This makes sense to us. Individuals matter and society is a collection of the very individuals that matter. “Good” should be evaluated through the filter of the individual and community.

So which form of individualism serves both best? 

We can make a case for the goodness of individualism (as seen in Harper’s work). But what about expressive individualism? Time will tell and stories will be told. But there is early evidence that it is not delivering what we're hoping for. We long for better solutions.

3. Who Should Be at the Center of the Orbit?

Both individualism and expressive individualism demonstrate a deep longing for significance and purpose. And this is why I love and appreciate the Christian worldview.

The story of God places God and not human individuals as the main character of the unfolding drama of history. And should individuals choose to revolve around the orbit of God, they’re given the gift of being caught up in a grand story.

This story gives us a coherent explanation of where we came from, why we’re here, what’s wrong, how to make it right, and where we’re all headed. The Christian faith makes the individual walk into the fullness of his or her individuality in the light of who He is and what He has done. This all occurs, not through accomplishment but a surrender to the grace and love of Jesus.

I leave you with the words of Jesus:

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

May you find life (and yourself) in the only one who can give it.