Generally, the mission of schools in Europe is to support a process that promotes individuality. Late modern trends according to sociologists (Beck, Giddens & Lasch 1994; Ziehe 1993; Beck 1992; Giddens 1991) focus on diversity, pluralism, relativism, individual rights, and independence. These are emphasized in the Swedish curriculum as core values behind ‘individual freedom and integrity’. However, the aim of education is also fostering to loyalty, generosity, responsibility in terms of collective well-being – or in other terms, ‘solidarity between human beings’ according to the Swedish School Act (SFS 2010:800). The purpose in this paper is therefore to find out what kind of ethical attitudes children and youngsters express. Are there possible differences related to separate Nordic areas, ages or gender?

We address the following research questions: 1. Do young people express attitudes which focus on ethical altruistic attitudes or do they have a more egocentric approach in everyday life situations? 2. Are there any differences between young people in Sweden and the Faroes? 3. If so, how can these outcomes be interpreted in terms of cultural capital?

Late modernity is here seen as a continuation of modernity, rather than a new stage or a transition including a distinct new form of condition in Western societies, postmodernism (Giddens 1991). According to our interpretation, this state means that the individual is to a great extent omitted to herself and needs to trust in herself, even if not completely abandoned to relativism as a postmodernist might be inclined to argue. However, this process in European societies and schools differs depending on cultural and social capital, including issues about religious traditions and secularism. According to international comparisons Sweden appears as one of the most secularized countries in Europe. The Faroe Islands is on the other hand still influenced by a religious heritage. “The islands have an unusually high rate of believers and this gives them singular Christian status, both among the secularized Scandinavian societies and further abroad” (Pons 2011, p 83) – even if the cultural traditions of the Faroe Islands today are confronted by global challenges and in that sense are less ‘exotic’ or unique than they might appear (Gaini 2011).

Individuality, quite often more generally expressed in terms of individualism or individualisation, is a classical concept in European sociology as well as a controversial one. Individuality does not presuppose individualism, that is, individuality is related to the process of development as a unique person. These individual differences and talents reflect our theoretical frame. The process of individuality, individualisation, is connected to “diagnosis” of our time, and covers apocalyptical descriptions of societies in dissolution with risk for increasing hedonism, narcissism, freedom of choice and values, options and self-reflexivity”, according to Levinsen (2006, p. 54). However, there are optimistic prophecies about the potential for constructiveness of individual freedom which contributes to emancipation and personal responsibility. Therefore, individuality is in this paper seen as an outcome of a dialectical interplay involving individuation and socialisation, that is, individuality also includes socialisation (Fajans 2006). This means emphasis both on personal development and acting as a responsible citizen. However, late modernity according to several sociologists and anthropologists (e.g. Beck, Giddens, Hoffman, and Juul) includes personal reflexivity and self-consciousness as a token of the process of individualization. Possibly this process also embraces selfishness and self-centered attitudes. The stress on individual freedom and self-monitoring perhaps promotes a careless and indifferent attitude among young people towards others’ well-being (Holfve-Sabel, 2014).

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