Not so long ago the best family structure was the father as the bread winner the mother as the household manager and lots of extended family
. Industrialization changed family structure from joint family to nuclear family. The location of the dwelling changed but contact with the extended family was meticulously maintained. The behaviour was still moulded by traditions and through group following. Group had control over the individual. Gradually the cost of living compelled both partners to work outside the home and children grew up in an environment where time was scarce and the competition high. Each one had to fend for themselves. It was survival of the fittest. Some societies were more industrialized then the other. The social structure of most of the Western nations is individualistic whereas the Eastern nations are to some degree still collective in binding. This happened because more emphasis was given to individual achievement and calibre rather than that of the group. So the new trend seemed to say can I go my way?
Individualism is affected by urbanization level of education and diversification of nuclear family structure. The pervious stereotypes have given way to new outlook learnt through media and reinforced by the educational system. The global adaptability shows through the varying degree of swing between traditionalistic and modern attitude. The individualistic attitude is shown through the behaviour when the individual is slackly connected to the group and preferably rigorously chases personal interests and not that of the social group. These individuals liked to be labelled as modern.
The mind set is characterised by such attitudes like freedom from parental control, membership with secondary groups, acceptance to innovation, conviction in science dogma, ambitious for good education and career, prefer government where public is taken into account etc. Conformity and individualism is two end of the same concept. Self reliance is the need of the hour.