Anthropologists

It is commonly said by anthropologists that primitive man is less individual and more completely molded by his society than civilized man. This contains an element of truth. Simpler societies are more uniform , in the sense that they call for, and provide opportunities for, a far smaller diversity of individual skills and occupations than the more complex and advanced societies. Increasing individualization in this sense is a necessary product of modern advanced society and runs through all its activities from top to bottom. But it would be a serious error to set up an antithesis between this process of individualization and the growing strength and cohesion of society.