ABSTRACT
In Hutterite society We have seen that the socialization process is intended to create a certain type of individual. This is not to say that among Hutterites automatons are considered desirable or that there should be no difference between individuals. In their thinking this is both impossible and undesirable. What is meant is that all individuals share the same perceptions of the world, past and present, strive towards the same ends, share the same values and adhere willingly to the same norms. This means that the frame of reference for the individual, the responses to like situations and the assumptions under which decisions are made, are shared among and are similar to all colony members. There is no contradiction between this and having individuals of different personalities and skills. It means though that, ideally, despite having individual variations, there will be congruence between colony norms and individual practice, with the norms remaining stable.
