Individualism <\/p>\n
Much of our lives in the United States is spent chasing freedom and independence. That instinct reflects a broader cultural value system we\u2019re steeped in: individualism. Individualism prioritizes personal autonomy, self-reliance, and the individual\u2019s needs over those of the group. The United States has an individualism score of 91 out of 100, making it the most individualistic country in the world according to Gert Hofstede\u2019s model of national culture.<\/a> <\/p>\n While it\u2019s a successful concept for an annual firework show, the veneration of independence can be disastrous when applied to mental health and caregiving<\/a>. The more we prioritize the self, the more disconnected and distressed we often become. A study of 1,906 young adults<\/a> found that increases in individualism are associated with reduced well-being, including anxiety<\/a>, depression<\/a>, self-esteem<\/a>, and interpersonal relationships. <\/p>\n Consequences of Individualism Among Caregivers<\/p>\n The culture of individualism is a problem when healing depends on connection. Eating disorder<\/a> recovery is one of the most obvious examples. One of the common symptoms of an eating disorder is anosognosia, which means people don\u2019t realize how sick they\u2019ve become. Thus, similar to substance use disorder, it is often friends and family who first recognize the need for treatment. This is when the individualistic ideal of self-reliance is harmful\u2014it takes a village to get through challenging times, and relationships become the key to reaching and maintaining recovery. <\/p>\n It\u2019s no wonder family-based therapy<\/a> is such an effective<\/a> treatment for adolescents and even young adults with eating disorders, as parents play a central role in recovery while their child\u2019s brain heals. That\u2019s a hard task for any parent, but it\u2019s made worse by a culture that worships self-reliance. <\/p>\n Parents often tell me they feel ashamed or think they\u2019re the cause of their child\u2019s eating disorder. They\u2019re ashamed that their child is sick, and ashamed that they can\u2019t fix it quietly. Many assume they should shoulder it alone.<\/p>\n But the psychology of caregiving makes isolation dangerous for the caregiver and patient. Studies show that<\/a> when caregivers experience poor mental health, it impacts their children\u2019s physical and mental health. <\/p>\n What We Can Learn From Familism<\/p>\n We tell caregivers to take care of their mental health and rest, but that advice misses the heart of the problem. Rest requires a community to share the load with, because no one can sustain constant caregiving alone.<\/p>\n The answer to this challenge comes from the adage, \u201cMany hands make light work.\u201d In clinical terms, it\u2019s familism. Familism is a cultural orientation prioritizing family well-being and mutual support. Research shows that cultures that embrace familism have better psychological outcomes for patients<\/a> and caregivers<\/a>. In real life, leaning into familism looks like this:<\/p>\n At home, instead of one parent taking on every meal, parents rotate responsibilities. One supervises dinner; another manages medical appointments or insurance calls. Extended relatives are enlisted to bring meals, help with siblings, or spend time with the caregiver. Familism won\u2019t eliminate the weight of caregiving, but its redistribution can be lifesaving for struggling families. When we lean into the \u201cwe,\u201d the \u201cI\u201d finds room to breathe again. And while shifting away from individualism can feel uncomfortable at first, it opens the door to the support needed all along and the relief that comes with it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Individualism Much of our lives in the United States is spent chasing freedom and independence. That instinct reflects…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-357942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIn treatment settings, clinicians normalize caregiver distress and proactively provide resources. That may look like sharing support groups, acknowledging exhaustion, or screening caregivers for anxiety or depression. Familism here acknowledges that the caregiver\u2019s health is central to the patient\u2019s health.
\nIn friendships, rather than asking, \u201cHow\u2019s your child doing?\u201d try, \u201cHow are you doing?\u201d Follow it up with a concrete offering, like \u201cCan your kids sleep over, so you can have a night alone this Wednesday?\u201d to create a community of shared care.<\/p>\n