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Sociology Ch. 3 S. 1. Obj: Identify the basic values that form the foundation of American culture; Describe new values that have developed in the US since the 1970s.
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Sociology Ch. 3 S. 1 Obj: Identify the basic values that form the foundation of American culture; Describe new values that have developed in the US since the 1970s.
Ethnic, racial, religious, social-status, and geographical variations in American society make for a diverse culture. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Americans share certain values. Sociologists are referring to these values when they speak of traditional American culture.
Traditional American Values In his study American Society sociologist Robin M. Williams analyzed American values. He identified a set of 15 values that are central to the American way of life. Among these basic values are personal achievement, individualism, work, morality, humanitarianism, efficiency and practicality, progress and material comfort, equality, democracy, and freedom.
Personal Achievement Most American value personal achievement. This value is not a surprise considering that the US was built primarily by people who believed in individualism and competition. This belief in the importance of personal achievement is most evident in the area of employment, where achievement often in measured in terms of power and wealth.
Individualism For most Americans, individual effort is the key to personal achievement. They strongly believe that success comes through hard work and initiative. This emphasis on individualism has a negative side, however. Most Americans feel that if a person does not succeed, that person is to blame.
Work Most Americans value work, regardless of the rewards involved. Americans view discipline, dedication, and hard work as signs of virtue. They often view those who choose not to work as lazy or even immoral.
Morality and Humanitarianism The US was founded on strong religious faith, on a belief in justice and equality, and on charity toward the less fortunate. Most Americans place a high value on morality and tend to view the world in terms of right and wrong. At the same time, they are quick to help those who are less fortunate than themselves.
Efficiency and Practicality Americans tend to be practical and inventive people. They believe that every problem has a solution. Problem solving involves discovering the most efficient technique for dealing with a situation or involves determining the most practical response to the issue at hand. As a result, Americans tend to judge objects such as new technology on their usefulness and judge people on their ability to get things done.
Progress and Material Comfort Americans have always looked to the future with optimism. They believe that through hard work and determination, living standards will continue to improve. This belief in progress is paired with a belief in the ability of science and technology to make the world a better and more comfortable place. Both views are important because most American also place a high value on material comfort.
Equality and Democracy The US was founded on the principle of human equality. Many Americans believe that to have human equality, there must be an equality of opportunity and an equal chance at success. Although Americans value equality of opportunity, they do not necessarily believe that everyone will be successful. The values of hard work and personal achievement lead most Americans to view success as a reward that must be earned. The belief in equality extends to the form of government that Americans value – democracy. Americans believe that citizens have the right to express their opinions and to participate freely in choosing their representatives in government.
Freedom Freedom is an important value for most Americans. Americans particularly value personal freedoms of choice such as the freedom of religion, speech, and press, which are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Americans steadfastly protect these freedoms from direct government interference in their daily lives and in business dealings.
Other Core Values These values are not the only values that help define American culture. Williams also included nationalism and patriotism, science, and rationality, and racial and group superiority in his list of core values. Another sociologist, James M. Henslin, suggested that additional values such as education might be included. Many Americans think that everyone should achieve the highest level of education that his or her abilities will allow.
Henslin also pointed out that religious values are important in American culture. While Americans do not expect people to belong to a church, temple, or mosque, they do expect them to live according to basic religious principles. Finally, Henslin suggested romantic love was another core American value. Americans strongly believe that people should marry primarily because they fall in love with each other.
Even though values are vital to the stability of society, they may sometimes produce conflict. Not everyone agrees on what are acceptable American values. Even when people agree on the importance of a certain set of values, individuals do not uphold all of these vales to the same degree. Strongly upholding the values of personal achievement and material comfort, for example, may weaken an individual’s commitment to such values as morality and equality.
Our Changing Values The problem of conflicting values is complicated by the fact that values, like all aspects of society, are dynamic. Over time, some values change and new ones emerge. In the years since Williams’s and Henslin’s studies, sociologists have traced the development of several related new values in the US. These values, which include leisure, physical fitness, and youthfulness, might be grouped under the term self-fulfillment.
Self-fulfillment is a commitment to the full development of one’s personality, talents, and potential. The emergence of this value can be seen in the self-help industry and the human-potential movement. Seminars, television programs, and books offer people ideas on how to improve their personal and professional lives. Health clubs and diet centers promise to transform people’s health and looks. Advertisements challenge people to “be all you can be,” to “grab the gusto,” and to “experience the good life.”
This growing emphasis on personal fulfillment created debate among social scientists. In this book The Culture of Narcissism, social historian Christopher Lasch went so far as to consider this emphasis on personal fulfillment a personality disorder. He termed this disorder narcissism, which means extreme self-centeredness. Sociologist Daniel Bell also saw dangers in the focus on the self. He felt that it weakened the established values of hard work and moderation and that it threatened the stability of the capitalist system.
Psychologist and survey researcher Daniel Yankelovich took a different view. He admitted that this new value probably indicated that Americans believed less in hard work than did earlier generations. However, he viewed this shift toward self-fulfillment as a beneficial change. It marked a movement away from satisfaction based on material gain, he suggested.
Studies during the 1990s noted the emergence of other new American values, such as concern for the environment. Public opinion polls during that time then reflected a growing support among Americans for environmental protection. Throughout much of the 1990s, for example, more than 60 percent of Americans said that they favored protecting the environment, even if it limited economic growth. However, according to a 2001 poll, these numbers may be dropping.
The emergence of environmentalism illustrates how values often change. For long periods in American history, the desire for progress led people to alter the natural world. Americans cleared forests, diverted rivers, and built factories and roads in an effort to improve life in the US. After a time, however, it became clear that some of these actins had damaged the environment. This damage had an adverse effect on quality of life. Americans then began to realize that they value the environment as well as industrial progress.
