Rise of Group Consciousness: A Challenge

to Existential Individualism

Existentialism is something means what? that deals directly with the Individual person.
Existentialism gives us the philosophical method to inquiry into the problems of human
existence, connected with his/her thinking, feeling, acting etc. And this was the reason the
existentialist called traditional philosophies, very abstract and out of human existential
context. The existentialists emphasised that society, religion or any institution can never give
the meaning to individual person; in order to live a meaningful and authentic life individual
has to give meaning by taking responsibility for his existence. Each person is thrown into the
world and it is individual’s responsible freedom only could lead to authentic being of the
person.

However, in today’s scenario what we see is the rise in ‘Group Consciousness’, that is,
people are leaning towards, ethnic identity, racial identity, religious identity, cultural identity,
national identity, etc. And as a resultresult, there is that there is conflict, war, violence etc.,
around the world. Through this we can see that individual is losing his authentic self that
existentialists propagate. Individual’s feeling, thinking, actions etc., are taken over by the
groups. It is group that thinks and acts for the individual. Sartre said, that “Man is condemned
to be free,” but what we see in the present scenario around the world is that individual is not
able to assert his freedom, he is bound by the group identity, which feels, thinks and acts for
the individual person. In a way he is not able to assert is authentic self.

Table of Content

Introduction

1. Etymology and Definition of Existentialism

2. Understanding the Core Concepts Existential Individualism
2.1. Soren Kierkegaard
2.2. Martin Heidegger
2.3. Jean Paul Sartre
3. Understanding Existential Individualism and Group Consciousness
3.1. Analysing the Psychological Mentality of Group Consciousness (nothing is mentioned
on this in the abstract)
3.2. Group Consciousness as threat to the individual Freedom
4. Conclusion