American and Asian cultures have very different approaches towards handling matters and no one approach can be deemed as the best. However, the American individualism and the Asian collectivism do have their benefits and drawbacks.The Western culture causes one to be more concerned over personal gains rather than other forms of contribution such as to society. The passage mentions that the rise of individualism leads to economic growth.
However, a mere economic growth is unlikely to result in a prosperous nation. If a country has a good economy but the citizens do not obey the government and activities such as corruption are common, the country will be in chaos. As such, the outlook that Asian culture has on collectivism is beneficial. An example will be Japan which practises Asian collectivism and has brought herself to attain world recognition.
Furthermore, in Asian and Western cultures, children are brought up differently. The Asians tend to have a more stern approach of upbringing. In comparison to the Asians, the Americans are perceived to be relaxed. In the Asian culture, parents are authoritative and they make almost every decision. As such, children have little to no say. However, in American culture, children are given the space to do what they feel is right.
Although being extremely stern to the extent a child is like a puppet is wrong, giving a child absolute freedom can lead a child astray. Thus, parents should draw a line between the amount of freedom they let their child have and in which circumstances, there is a need for them to be strict.
