What is extreme personalism?

Extreme personalism is a belief system that emphasizes the primacy of the individual person, and typically downplays or even rejects notions of group identity, institutions, or universal truths. In its most extreme form, extreme personalism can lead to solipsism or nihilism, where individuals live for a personal experience of pleasure while denying universal principles.

This philosophical concept has influenced various fields as psychology, anthropology, and education due to its focus on subjective experience. Individuals with tendencies of extreme personalism consider their personal interests or feelings as of ultimate importance regardless of any social norms or moral boundaries.

The roots of extreme personalism may lie in existential philosophy, which is often concerned with issues like choice and individual agency. But while much modern and post-modern philosophy takes into account cultural or institutional elements as well, some thinkers such as German philosopher Max Stirner (1806-1856) developed ideas emphasizing extreme individual autonomy as the central concept in their ideas.