When should a person cooperate, and when should a person be selfish, in an ongoing interaction with another person?
In the entertainment industry competition is extremely high. Some negative and some healthy. I believe that every working surrounding should be slightly competitive but healthy as I believe this makes us work harder and strive for bigger and better experiences.
As some aspects of this are looked, at not giving too much away if not reciprocated. In my professional practice as a dancer, giving too much away can lead to negative effects, whereas closely cooperating in a suitable manner will give just enough away. I have accounted these situations before and learn't from them, It's about getting the job in hand and many dancers are "in it for themselves"but then when others have some news or advice we tend not to extract that information to those people.
The "Tit for Tat" way is used by everyone nowadays, "You give to receive," as dancers and teachers if we are being helped then we help another- An experience with a friend in London, she lets me know whats going on down there regarding auditions and castings when I'm based in Manchester and so I help her with teaching and emailing people for work.
The questions bought to me were- Even though I believe that everyone uses Tit for Tat- Do they really? Are some people genially out to help? What do other dancers think of my beliefs? Are they selfish? I have experience uncooperative people before have you? Is there competition in every working surrounding?
Affiliation
Hofsted's has "argued that in individualistic cultures people develop social relationships in many and varied settings, but these relationships tend not to be particularly close. In collectivist cultures, on the other hand, people develop relatively few, but deep and long‐lasting, relationships"
This I believe is extremely interesting, as my grandparents originated for a collectivist culture but I live in a Individualist culture trying to balance is difficult. In my professional practice I become competitive and a individualist trying to be different and stand out but as a non dancer I am cultural.
This has never occurred to me before without looking into it now, but I do think that many negatives outcomes can happen from these theories.
What if you end up hurting a family member or a close friends whilst trying to get further in life?
The western society is seen to be all about "I" and "Me" but this is how we have survived and become one of the richest countries in the world. Does this make it right though? Is being selfish the way forward?
Steph has commented about the Adam and Eve story, this is most interesting as we all try to build social relationships, and that many people find it abnormal to not have a partner/friends in their life. I believe the more we affiliate and be social the more we gain from one another within every surrounding.
I thought it was really interesting that you raised the point of trying to find the balance between individualism and collectivism. I sometimes think I spread myself to thin - developing lots of friendships but perhaps not focusing on nurturing the ones that really count. I think this will be a general trend that continues, as young people now growing up with facebook are used to having hundreds of friends and communicating via Web 2.0 platforms, but spending very little time actually developing face to face friendships.
ReplyDeleteI certainly believe that, as you say, a certain amount of competitiveness is needed, especially in the performance industry, but we should not allow it to get out of hand, for the sake of our happiness. I think cultures that embrace a more collectivist attitude are a great example to us I aspire to be more like that, particularly in my non-professional life. Like you say, it's all about finding the balance.
Regardless of what the politicians think about the failure of the UK to develop in a multicultural sense I believe that the entertainment industry and in particular Performing arts is becoming highly multicultural the fusion of African Asian European and Latin influences is coming through in so many different ways. I wish sometimes that the media especially TV would try to reflect what is happening rather than creating so many type cast characters.
ReplyDeleteAll types of performers are influenced by people from other cultures who are around them and whilst I agree that a personal level the balance needs to be maintained so is not to offend families and friends I would like individuals to feel able to fuse the cultural influences and simply build up their skills and experiences as performers rather than thinking they need to walk a tight rope.
I believe we are motivated by self interest. This is not necessary a bad thing because if we all cooperate then we all gain. Humans have different levels of what is acceptable and so self interest can soon turn into being selfish. I find that I actually have both collective and individualistic relationships these are defined as professional and social. I think because we have different levels of affiliation within these networks it’s easy to define them. I guess it boils down to how far you are willing to go in order to achieve your goals, will you become selfish? As you and Stephanie both state it is improtant to a find balance.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonal.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned abut how competitive the industry is, I realised A lot of other students mentioned about how competitive Performing Arts industries are.
My opinion, to be honest I never really felt that way before, as I am male and competitions are not as high as women.
I always think we deserve what we deserve, when I go to auditions, there are a lot of candidates, like my self. Instead of seeing rest of dancers like competitors, I try to see rest of the dancers as people who try to archive what I am trying archive. So, auditions are best source of informations to me. I use TIT FOR TAT all the time at auditions. Getting a job is the most important priority for performing artist, no doubt about that. However,developing the networks some times values more to me than getting two or three months contract.
As Sonal mentioned sometimes people do not care hurting others to get better jobs, but, as Axelrod`s example, what comes around goes around. People might forgive but will not forget.
I have to be careful too! This carrier is short, but rest of life is long.
Thanks Sonal.