Introduction
The debate surrounding both the need and disposal of a common national identity has been exceptionally prominent, especially within the past few decades, and it is something to be celebrated on the right of the modern political sphere while at the same time something to be shunned by on the left. The right claims a necessity for preserving tradition through a common national identity with fear that it’s dismantling would lead to a chaotic upheaval of society itself. On the other hand, the left focuses on the motivation towards progress by replacing old systems of tradition with new ideas and ways of being. Whose perception of a common national identity is correct? Could it be that each opposing perceptional framework is both right and wrong at the same time? A thorough investigation into the history of tradition and progress can help shed light on the answer. And that answer appears to be found within the framework of an adaptive common national identity and common goal orientation among members of a particular nation that provides security, stability, and innovative progress for all involved.
Arguments
Since the dawn of humanity, beginning approximately six million years ago, a shared identity among hominid tribes has been essential for the survival of the individuals that constitute them. This cohesive participation among tribe adherents allowed greater food, water, and shelter access. These tribal groups often rewarded committed supporters while punishing and ostracizing defectors (Clark et al. 2019). Unfortunately, this adherence and devotion by tribal members can also motivate individuals to sacrifice sound reasoning and judgmental accuracy for group belonging and commitment (Kahan et al., 2017, as cited by Clark et al., 2019). This also leads to a particular bias that favors and supports the tribe’s interest while disregarding any information that conflicts with this interest. Over time, the tribe can become too authoritarian in nature and ultimately collapse under its stagnation.
Although tribalism can indeed become biased, leading to a system of tyranny and stagnation, it does not necessarily have to. By seeking to preserve traditional behavioral patterns and systems of belief that work for the tribe and discarding those that do not over time while at the same time remaining open to novel ideas and modes of being that could potentially benefit the tribe, especially in the long-term, would lead to gradual adaptive progress that would not only uphold the society but advance it, too. An example of this can be found in the adaptive formation of the ancient society of Sumer. In its initial formation, individual tribes collaborated over time before merging into a single, more prominent tribe that made up the society of Sumer (Britannica, 2023). This adaptive ability to evolve tradition alongside progressive ideas to benefit the overarching tribal communities is the imperative function of a unified and functioning nation. Furthermore, this nation of Sumer thrived and survived for approximately 1,000 years due to this integral process of an adaptive common national identity. The ability to adapt to new ideas and modes of being while extracting specific utilitarian processes found within tradition can help sustain and vitalize a nation and the individuals that constitute it.
Alongside the ability to adapt to new ideas while extracting essential and utilitarian elements of tradition is the necessity for a common goal and self-management among the nation’s citizens. A set of common goals and interests allows for the members of a particular nation to better adapt to novel ideas and one another, which produces more cohesion that leads to consistent, increased productivity for all involved. This was observed in a study by Hoek et al. on team member cohesiveness towards a common goal in healthcare. The clarity of goal setting and the implementation of self-management among the team members was marked by substantial increases in overall team performance (2018). Subsequently, when members of a team had goal ambiguity and lacked self-management, the results were negatively impacted. Members of a nation cohesively work together towards a particular goal, while each member is doing so in a self-manageable manner, thus partaking in a shared national identity and contributing to the whole of their society.
Counterarguments
Counterarguments proposed by the opposition to a common national identity are worth considering. The first argument is who or what will determine what is valuable and necessary to derive from underlying traditional values and new ideas? This determining factor can lead to an authoritarian state which benefits only those in power (Lindstaedt, 2023). The second argument concerns those that would constitute the out-group of a common national identity. How would one address the issue of discrimination against out-groups? If a common national identity is at the center of a nation, how can diversity through multiculturalism prosper (Falomir-Pichasto & Frederic, 2013)?
Rebuttals
In response to the first argument on the formation of authoritarian states, it is imperative that, in striving towards a shared national identity, cooperation and unification among individuals and the fields of study and industries that they constitute remain vigilant and consistent. Moreover, the fields of study and industries that help support the nation and its common agenda seek to communicate efficiently and effectively to help diminish any misunderstandings that would hinder cooperation between these systems and to help maintain progression coherence towards the goal of commonality rooted in functionality. And not only should this type of effective communication be pursued between industries and types of work, but it should also be instantiated within those industries from the top down and vice versa (Bucăţa & Rizescu, 2017). The more individuals and the systems of function that they constitute cooperate and communicate efficiently and effectively, the more apt the whole of the nation will function efficiently and effectively towards the proper extraction of utilitarian traditional values, as well as the formation and implementation of progression ideas that benefit both the individual and society as a whole. This will allow for the inhibition of authoritarian regimes from forming at the top while allowing all voices to be heard cooperatively, conducive to the prospering of the surrounding society.
The second argument of out-group discrimination can also be diminished through the previously mentioned necessity of effective communication between individuals and industries that make up society (Blaine & Brenchley, 2021). In addition to effective communication, developing an understanding on the part of each individual’s essential contribution to society is imperative to anti-discriminatory thoughts and behaviors. By understanding that diversity is essential for the functionality of society and the formation and integration of new ideas that ultimately enhance that particular society, the more willingness to accept and learn from out-group individuals on the part of the in-group participants. One study by Liu Tan et al. in 2019 found a potential association between exposure to foreign cultures and enhanced creativity. This study helps shed light on the necessity for practical cooperation and communication not only on the part of in-group individuals and industries but between out-group participants, too. The more individuals of both in-groups and out-groups communicate and learn from each other, the more efficiently the surrounding society will function, and enhanced means of integrative progression will be evident (OECD, 2020).
Conclusion
As humans evolved, we learned how to extract valuable and necessary information from traditional ideas while seeking to adapt to new environments through cooperative modes of communication and behavior. This unifying and adaptive evolutionary means of surviving and thriving is still relevant today as we seek to live in a globalized world. By unifying as a nation with a common goal in mind, while extracting essential data from traditional values and integrating them with new, profound ideas found within dialogue and cooperation between individuals and industries and between in-groups and out-groups, we may see an integrative and cooperative effort that results in increased stability along with increased productivity.
References
Blaine, B. E., Brenchley, K. J. M., (2021). Understanding The Psychology of Diversity. Sage Publications. 246-250. https://capella.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781544381091/epubcfi/6/2[%3Bvnd.vst.idref%3Dcover]!/4/2[cover-image]/2%4028:0
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, May 31). Sumer. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Sumer
Bucăţa, G. & Rizescu, M., (2017/03/01). The Role of Communication in Enhancing Work Effectiveness of an Organization. Land Forces Academy Review. 22 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316360042_The_Role_of_Communication_in_Enhancing_Work_Effectiveness_of_an_Organization
Clark, Cory, Liu, Brittany, Winegard, Bo & Ditto, Peter, (2019/08/20). Tribalism Is Human Nature. Current Directions in Psychological Science 10.1177/0963721419862289 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333673884_Tribalism_Is_Human_Nature
Juan M. Falomir-Pichastor, Natasha S. Frederic, (2013). The dark side of heterogeneous ingroup identities: National identification, perceived threat, and prejudice against immigrants, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 49, 1, 72-79, ISSN 0022-1031, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.08.016.
Lindstaedt, N. (2023, June 20). authoritarianism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/authoritarianism
OECD (2020), “The impact of diversity: A review of the evidence”, in All Hands In? Making Diversity Work for All, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/5f8c1531-en.
Van der Hoek, M., Groeneveld, S., & Kuipers, B. (2018). Goal Setting in Teams: Goal Clarity and Team Performance in the Public Sector. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 38(4), 472–493. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X16682815
Michael Thacker 