Individualism as an American Cultural Value - 823 Words

Individualism as an American Cultural Value Individualism is often viewed as a positive trait in America, suggesting a certain level of personal confidence. American society tends to reward independent thinkers and those who decide autonomously. To this end, individuality has become a value in many American homes. Although individualism is widely received and respected in American culture, it is not as well respected in other cultures. One culture in particular which frowns on individualism is the Asian culture. Thai family values are very different from American family values. In Asian cultures the family unit is highly valued and emphasized, whereas, in American culture, the focus is on individuality. Values derived from the American†¦show more content†¦This training and rearing of children in individuality projects a great air of importance, however, it places many Americans in a position of being lonely. The connotation of individuality in America is that of being strong and confident yet many Americans struggle with loneliness because they have been taught to do for themselves, think for themselves, and to stand on their own two feet. While I believe that some of the intents of individualism can be respected and do contribute to many positive aspects of American life, I do not believe that we as Americans should rely so much on the value of individuality. It has been said, it takes a village to raise a child, and Asian culture has grasped this concept of community. I must say that I agree with Dr. Sponsel, â€Å"individualism as one of the dominant values in American culture is expressed in many ways† (425). If you asked most Americans what the cultural values in the U.S. are, you might get some blank stares, or a statement of some basic beliefs. The question may seem simple, but the answer is quite complex. In a society as highly diverse as the United States, individualism towers over everything else. Works Cited Natadecha-Sponsel, Poranee. â€Å"Individualism as an American Cultural Value.† One World Many Cultures. 7th ed. Eds. Stuart Hirschberg and Terry Hirschberg. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009.Show MoreRelatedrhetorical analysis draft 1.11095 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 1301-54123 September 19, 2013 Draft 1.1 Rhetorical Analysis Individualism is a habit of being self- reliant. A cultural value is a persons desired and preferred way of acting. Every culture has their own cultural values and individualism but whether individualism is their cultural value is up to the person entirely. This could pose a conflict when persuading the wrong culture especially a culture as diverse as the American culture. 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These codes of ethics can be used as a way to demonstrate differences in perception of ethics from one country to another, but are only guidelines rather than exhaustive rules or regulat ions. However, these are American institutions, which may be helpful for TMI in understandingRead MoreWestern Mindset Vs. Eastern Mentality937 Words   |  4 Pagestoday has a lot of cultural differences, mainly from the different cultures that are housed within the United States. Core values is the first segment under cultural differences. Some of America’s core values includes: liberty, self-government, equality, diversity and unity. The United States tendencies or characteristics is the second segment, examples include health, religion, and mobile phone revolution. The last segment is the Western Mindset vs. Eastern Mindset. Individualism is the main aspect