Study of Emergence of Individualism in the Family (Case Study: Tehran Citizens)

Nowadays, the increased rate of divorce, increasing age of marriage, decreased rate of fertility are among the most important challenges that Iranian families are faced with. These challenges have been conceptualized as a series of functional and structural changes in families as they are becoming more and more individualistic. One of the most significant outcomes of such changes is the emergence of individualism in families which indicates that family values have undergone some changes; in the sense that individual demands are preferred to collective demands. The present study has aimed to review individualism in families with an emphasis on the level of commitment to family values. The purpose of this study has been to respond to this question: given the recent evolutions and changes of Iranian society in general, and Iranian families in particular, is it a true claim to say that individualism has emerged in Iranian families? This study is a survey which has examined a sample composed of 408 Tehran citizens. By analyzing the research findings, it became clear that family values have changed in the respect of emergence of individualism. However, these changes vary depending on each of the five dimensions of family values, which have been studied in this research. In two dimensions of family values, i.e. hierarchal values and control values, family members are individualists; in the continence values dimension, they are to some extent individualists; in the dimension of traditional values, they are both individualists and collectivists; and in the dimension of commitment values, they are completely collectivist. By comparing the research subjects in terms of various gender, education and age groups, it became clear that the level individualism has been raised in the family values of women, young adults and those with higher academic education.