Individualism, according to alexis de tocqueville, asserts that citizens were able to flourish without hereditary distinctions. how would this value directly conflict with tocqueville's upbringing? tocqueville was raised in poverty and remained so throughout his life. tocqueville was raised in an aristocratic family and that gave him certain privileges he could not have otherwise achieved. it illustrates the divine right of the bourbons to rule france. it demonstrates the challenges that tocqueville had with his faith as a young person.