In the Scandinavian countries the social norm actually is to do battle within yourself for the greater good. The Law of Jante characterizes Scandinavian society:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante
Used generally in colloquial speech in the Nordic countries as a sociological term to denote a social attitude of disapproval towards expressions of individuality and personal success, it emphasizes adherence to the collective....
Sandemose made no claim to having invented the rules; he simply sought to formulate social norms that had stamped the Danish and Norwegian psyches for centuries.
The reason why countries like Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway are social democratic seems to stem from how the Law of Jante has stamped their psyches for centuries even before social democracy and democratic socialism were formulated. Maybe our lack of our own kind of Law of Jante is getting in the way of our advancement here in North America?