In learning, how to move from the individual to the collective

The true measure of a man is the degree to which he has succeeded in subjugating his ego.

The transition from "I" to "us" implies a transition from individuality to collectivity. This can be seen from several angles: philosophical, sociological, psychological and educational.

What do philosophy, sociology, psychology and the educational sciences have to say about the transition from I to us?

• Philosophy emphasizes individual autonomy and collective dependence.
  
  For example, Kant argued that autonomy is the ability to determine one's own moral law. According to Immanuel Kant, self-consciousness is what elevates man above other living beings on earth, and at the same time gives him the power to create laws for himself.
  
  In his thesis "Anthropology from the Pragmatic Point of View", Kant explains that the possession of the "I" in its representation is a power that enables man to be a person of a rank and dignity incomparable to objects, by virtue of his ability to think. He also points out that self-consciousness is common to all men, whatever their language.
  
  For another philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, existence precedes essence. This means that man has no predefined nature, but is free to define himself. For him, the "I" is a social construct, shaped by his individual choices and actions. But this other, through whom we define ourselves, can induce a radically different self, depending on how we look at it.
  
  For Martin Buber, "I" and "us" are two aspects of the relationship between individuals. In his book "I and Thou", Buber explains that the relationship between individuals can be either "I-thou" or "I-he". The "I-thou" relationship is a genuine relationship in which individuals recognize each other as unique and distinct beings. The "I-it" relationship, on the other hand, is an impersonal relationship in which individuals do not recognize each other as unique and distinct beings. Depending on the way in which individuals construct their "I" on the basis of the moral law, their power to exist or their capacity for otherness, the "we" to be expected is very different, between alignment, battle of egos or meetings of otherness.
  
  What they do have in common is the importance of self-awareness and relationships between individuals.
  
  
• Sociology also examines how individuals identify with the group and how they share responsibility.
  
  For example, social influence theory suggests that the choice to conform or oppose a group is influenced by factors such as social comparison, persuasive arguments, social identity, informational influence and the diffusion of responsibility . Sociologists make important contributions to explaining the shift from "I" to "us".
  
  According to François de Singly (2015 ) classical Western sociology tends to exclude the "I" under the hegemony of socialization, the internalization of the social as Émile Durkheim would say. However, he proposes to re-problematize the question by focusing on the relationship between the socialized "I" and the "I" of personal deliberation, also inscribed in the social.
  
  While de Singly is interested in deliberation based on the self, Grégoire Borst, director of the Laboratoire de psychologie du développement et de l'éducation de l'enfant, emphasizes that every individual action has a collective consequence, and vice versa. The transition from "I" to "we" is the path to social transformation. It is in the movement of reciprocal interactions that the "I" and the "we" emerge and position themselves.
  
  These two sociologists emphasize the importance of reflexivity and individual responsibility in the construction of a collective "we", a reflexivity encouraged by circumstances or a variety of mediations such as training.
  
  
• Psychology explores how individuals navigate between autonomy and dependence within a group.
  
  According to social identity theory (Fischer, 2020) , individuals have shared personal and social identities, based on self-categorization and comparison. Self-categorization is the process by which individuals classify themselves in social categories, while social comparison is the process by which they evaluate their own status in comparison with other group members.
  
  Social psychology has also studied the relationship between autonomy and dependence. Autonomy is considered a fundamental human need, essential to individual well-being, motivation and psychological health. However, it is not opposed to dependence, but rather integrates and assimilates it.
  
  In short, psychology explores how individuals navigate between autonomy and dependence within a group, based on shared personal and social identities, and integrating autonomy and dependence for optimal well-being.
  
  
• The educational sciences focus on how individuals learn to work together in a group.
  
  For example, educational research has shown that autonomy can be an important prerequisite for school leadership, but that how we understand the relationship between autonomy and control is even more important for successful school improvement.
  
  The transition from "I" to "we" then involves a delicate balance between individual autonomy and collective dependence, as well as an understanding of how responsibility is shared within a group. It's a complex process that requires careful thought and understanding.

Individual participation in other people's environments

Each individual participates in the milieu of others through relationships played out in a variety of collectives.

Research into engagement and collective enaction invites us "not to focus solely on the individual or the environment, but to understand the unity they form" (Martin et al 2023).

There are several ways of responding to this proposal, including approaching the question from a systemic point of view. So, instead of describing the "sense of belonging" as how individuals feel connected to a social, spatial, cultural or professional group, and how this connection "influences their level of involvement and attachment to a community or group, a more dynamic view or :

"The sense of belonging can be understood as an identity process with 3 polarities: identifying others, identifying with others, being identified by others " Francard, M., & Blanchet, P. (2003 p18-25)

What's more, the quality of relationships within a collective ensures that each individual's environment is reinforced. Research in human resource management and organizational psychology has shown that the quality of relationships within a group can have a significant impact on group performance and the well-being of group members (Pels et al; 2018).

When everyone's individual experience is taken into account, it is mutual experience that is made possible, and a common landscape takes shape. Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger's (1991) work on situated learning and communities of practice illustrates how individual experience can be integrated into collective experience, creating a shared "landscape" of understanding and practice.

The collective perception of what is respectful and benevolent in this experience produces a collective flow. Research into "flow" or optimal experience shows that individuals can experience a state of flow when fully immersed in an activity, and that this state can be shared within a group, creating a collective "flow" (van Oortmerssen, et al, 2022).

Transformative learning

Collective learning, the desire to learn together, in turn transforms everyone's environment. Work on collective learning suggests that the learning that emerges from our participation in group life can reinforce the desire to learn together and, in turn, transform each individual's environment (Garavan et al 2008).

Sources

Delage, M. (2014). Identity and belonging: The systemicist at the intersection of the personal and interpersonal in human bonds. Thérapie Familiale, 35, 375-395. https://doi. org/10.3917/tf.144.0375

De Singly, F. (2015). Ways of thinking the "I" in sociology. SociologieS.
https://journals.openedition.org/sociologies/5143.

Fischer, G. (2020) - Fundamental concepts of social psychology - Chapter 7. L'identité sociale. In: G. Fischer, Les concepts fondamentaux de la psychologie sociale (pp. 237-266). Paris: Dunod.
https://www.decitre.fr/livres/les-concepts-fondamentaux-de-la-psychologie-sociale-9782100802036.html

Francard, M., & Blanchet, P. (2003). Sentiment d'appartenance. in Guy JUCQUOIS and Gill FERRÉOL ; "Dictionnaire d'interculturalité. "Armand Colin. p18-23

Garavan, T. N., and McCarthy, A. (2008). Collective learning processes and human resource development. Progress in Human Resource Development, 10(4), 451-471.
https:// link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_136

Kant, I., Foucault, M., Ewald, F., Gros, F., & Defert, D. (2008). Anthropologie d'un point de vue pragmatique: précédé de Michel Foucault, introduction à l'anthropologie. Vrin.
https://www.decitre.fr/livres/anthropologie-d-un-point-de-vue-pragmatique-precede-de-introduction-a-l-anthropologie-9782711619641.html

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

Martin, O. (2016). 23. Roles and places of sociologists in society. In: F. de Singly, C. Giraud & O. Martin (Dir), Apprendre la sociologie par l'exemple (pp. 283-294). Paris: Armand Colin.
https://www.decitre.fr/livres/apprendre-la-sociologie-par-l-exemple-9782200613990.html

Martin, G., Nicolas, P., & David, P. (2023). Understanding the notion of engagement through the lens of the enactive approach. Revue pluridisciplinaire d'Education par et pour les Doctorant-es, 1(2).

Pels, F., Kleinert, J., & Mennigen, F. (2018). Group flow: A scoping review of definitions, theoretical approaches, measures and findings. PloS one, 13(12), e0210117.

Van Oortmerssen, L. A., Caniëls, M. C., Stynen, D., & van Ritbergen, A. (2022). Stimulating team flow through collective efficacy beliefs: a multilevel study in real organizational teams. Journal of applied social psychology, 52(10), 1030-1044.

Durand-Gasselin, J. (2013). Social philosophy and its resources: Reflections on some comparative styles and figures. Cahiers philosophiques, 132, 34-57. https://doi. org/10.3917/caph.132.0034

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Clinical note on the difference between independence and autonomy.
https://ludovicgadeau-psychotherapie.com/note-clinique-sur-la-difference-entre-independance-et-autonomie/.