If one asks a Swede what is the most prevalent characteristic of their society, they would probably say, "We are envious of our neighbors good fortune." After talking with enough of them, one would come to realize it is truly a widespread mentality in the Swedish society as a whole. In fact, the Swedish Institute of Public Opinion Research found that in a poll conducted of which traits Swedes identify themselves mostly with, "Envious" was at the top of the list with 49% of the respondents. (Daun, 186). What is behind the prevalence of envy in this prosperous, industrialized, yet intensely jealous nation?
The foremost reason can be described by Jante's Law. Jante's Law comes from the Norwegian/Danish author Aksel Sandemose's novel, "En flygtning krysser sitt spor", in which the fictitious Danish town of Jante lives by its own ten commandments. Jante's law is defined by Sandemose: "This is Jante: each little soul's struggle for coequality and recognition, never without consciousness that all the others are greater than he." These ten laws stand as both a criticism and a fairly accurate depiction of moral code in Sweden and Scandinavia today.
It can be said that many modern swedes live by these laws, consciously or not, and embrace them deeply. "The Law of Jante was not merely a set of laws, it was the very core of the speech of the people, all they ever said could be traced straight back to the Law of Jante." (Sandemose, 28). Envy, despite being a christian sin, is a principle part of Jante's law, as the result of breaking this social code means that your neighbors will despise you for your individuality, uniqueness, or an excess show of wealth. In fact, one could venture to say that in Swedish society, breaking Jante's law is in and of itself much worse than committing the sin of envy.
What purpose does Jante's law serve in Swedish society today? "By means of the Law of Jante people stamp out each other's chances in life." (Sandemose, 28). This cruel statement taken by itself paints a harsh and unforgiving picture of Swedish society. Yet, the laws serve a purpose deeply rooted in historical background. In early provincial Sweden, strong community solidarity was necessary to tie people together and to survive as a collective. The survival of the community as an entire entity was more important than any individual member, and thus the moral code behind Jante's law was formed.
As Sweden emerged as an egalitarian state, the envy and hatred of one's neighbour became more prevalent in society as the disparity between incomes grew lesser. With every TV set and stereo ones neighbours purchased it became important that you had one as well. Society scolded those who bought flashier cars than such a person should have, yet all the while wishing deep inside it had an even better vehichle. The mere fact that economically one's neighbours earn a much closer income makes the petty differences matter more to the average Swede. For example, if Per Löfgren is a doctor, and makes a bit higher salary than the Dahlbergs across the hall, it would be considered boastful and insulting to the Dahlbergs if he had them over to show off the pictures from his lavish vacation to India. In fact, just mentioning the vacation casually would be in violation of Jante's law. In order to live by the law of Jante, one must not only show, but prove one thinks no more of themself than one thinks of the great and powerful "we".
Although Sweden is a successful and relatively financially secure nation, Jante's law persists in society. This peasant law, which valued a strong work ethic and a communal mentality, exists today because Swedes deeply believe their society relies on it to succeed and to prosper. In his essay "A System out of Harmony with its Values", Patrik Engellau describes the reliance of Swedes on Jante's law. "The stability of Swedish society requires that all three pillars bear its weight. If we forget one or two of them and attempt the circus feat of standing on only one of them, we are in danger of losing our balance and falling flat on our faces." (Engellau, 57). It is this fear of change and instability that keeps modern Swedes belief in middle-road equality alive.
A good example of modern Sweden reacting in the way of Jante's law is the Swedish perspective on fame and stardom. In Åke Daun's book Swedish Mentality he writes, "Swedes are ambivalent about their 'stars' (the more neutral term 'celebrity' is seldom used) whether in sports, show business, or culture. The stars' successes may be admired, but their exclusiveness and out-of-the-ordinary achievements often give rise to envy and therefore to malicious pleasure when the stars 'fall.'
The high value towards sameness makes all personal successes problematic." (Daun, 107). It happens quite often that political figures are victims of newspaper and magazine exposés, as the public reacts quite zealously when seeing prominent figures fail. This presents a rather daunting problem for those in prominent positions, as it is their duty under Jante's law to mask their successes as much as they can, and to never revel in them.
From an American perspective, Jante's law may be Scandinavia's greatest cultural difference. In the American workplace, management uses positive reinforcement with employees as a method of motivation. In Sweden and much of Scandinavia, one is expected to get ones work done, without much herald. It can be related to the Swedish proverb, "Noble deeds are done in silence." (Engellau, 57). If an American enters the Swedish workplace expecting the same treatment of endless compliments for a job well done, they are certainly in for a surprise.
Likewise, should a Swede come to work in the states, they are not likely to know the proper response to the barrage of compliments they will receive. It is typical of Swedes to respond to compliments in a negative manner, by saying "No, I really didn't do anything special," or "It wasn't anything anyone else couldn't easily do." In the states, responding to a compliment in this manner is insulting to the person giving the compliment in the way that it infers the person didn't know what they were talking about. However, should the American respond to a compliment in a Swedish workplace with "Thanks, I did my best!" or "It was easy", they will be received as being boastful, overly proud, and in direct violation of Jante's law, thus instilling envy in their coworkers.
Jante's law isn't strictly a Scandinavian philosophy, there is also a similar social code in Chile (Daun, 176). However, the strength of this mentality lingers stronger in Scandinavia than any other place on the map. In recent years, this has changed a little, partly because along with the growing popularity of the American economic system has come the adoption of American ideas and values, which are in strict conflict with Jante's law. The increasing globalization of trade and the influx of immigrants into Swedish society has also diminished the strengh of Sweden's social code. However, evidence of Jante's law can still be seen in nearly all facets of society, and will most likely prevail for years to come.
Copyright 1998: Crystal Lee Möller, all rights reserved.