Abstract:

Seen from a humanistic sociological perspective, an individual is a cultural value, or more precisely, a social value. Using this concept as it was expounded by Florian Znaniecki in The Method of Sociology (New York, 1968, no further publication information given) & by Stanislaw Ossowski in "Social Zoology & Cultural Differentiation" (Quality & Quantity, 1971, 2), a contrastive analysis is constructed for the systems of social values employed by Italian & Polish immigrant communities in Australia. Social systems are classified into primary, secondary, personal, & group systems. The Italian & Polish families in Australia are extended both horizontally & vertically, in contrast to the nuclear structure of Anglo-Australian families. The Italian families provide financial support to their adult children until they are financially well-established; the adult children are then expected to assist their aging parents. Anglo-Australian families emphasize personal independence & initiative, placing greater emphasis on the individual autonomy of the young adult. The Polish families are closer in structure to the Italian families; however, in addition to close-knit family structures, Polish Australians maintain their cultural heritage through a network of friends, often chosen on the basis of intellectual interests. It is shown that Anglo societies have an individualist primary social system & a collectivist secondary system; for the Italian & Polish immigrants the reverse holds true.