Words and Word Combinations to Remember

Unit 2

I

AMERICAN VALUES

Pre-listening Task

Traditional American Values

In his study American Society: A Sociological Interpre­tation, Robin M. Williams, Jr. (1970), identified a set of American values that provides the basis for the discussion in this section. But many other social scientists have iso­lated a similar set of shared American values. These observations have been confirmed by foreign visitors, who recognize the same “typically American” traits, and by opinion polls taken among American citizens, whose responses show that they still believe in what Gunnar Myrdal (1962) referred to as the “American Creed.” Williams listed the following traditional American values:

Personal achievement.

One of the most prized of all American values is personal achievement. Ideally, Americans honor and reward those who produce, accomplish, and achieve, especially when this is done through hard work. A person’s worth is often equated with his or her achievements in business, the arts, or some other important area of American life. But the stress on achievement, especially as measured by eco­nomic status, conflicts with the idea that one should be respected simply for who one is.

Work.

American society was founded on hard work. The settlers who pioneered in the wilderness had to work hard not only to achieve a better life but also just to survive. Moreover, the country’s abundant natural resources provided a strong incentive to make the most of what was available. And as the settlers saw that the labor of a farmer, trapper, or miner brought wealth not only to that individual but also to the community at large, they came to value work as a means of achieving a better life. The open, fluid social structure of the new country promised “room at the top” for those willing to work hard. Work for its own sake continues to be a dominant value in American culture.

Moral concern and humanitarianism.

As part of their devout religious faith, America’s first set­tlers showed deep concern for the welfare of others less fortunate than themselves. Americans do not always put these ideals into practice, however. Sometimes these val­ues contradict certain other equally strong values. For example, the American ideal of personal achievement makes it hard for many Americans to accept welfare pro­grams. To them, it is wrong for part of society to support those who do not work. But when people are in distress clearly through no fault of their own (victims of a drought, for example), Americans are often generous. The struggle to resolve contradictions between key values such as personal achievement and moral concern is often difficult and can easily lead to confusion and instability at the individual level.

Efficiency and practicality.

Americans tend to judge things on the basis of practicality: Does it work? Will it pay off? This emphasis stems partly from the American frontier tradition. The dangers of the frontier left American pioneers with contempt for tools, weapons, or even people that were not efficient or practical.

As a practical people, Americans like to solve whatever problems are at hand as quickly as possible. Americans value technology and have a strong desire to control the physical world. They are less willing to pursue long-term, visionary goals.

Equality.

The early colonists, drawn mostly from the middle and lower classes, tended to reject rigid class distinctions. Many of the social inequalities of the Old World dissolved in America. The country’s vast nat­ural resources, which provided plenty for all, further strengthened the concept of equality.

Like most major American values, equality comes into conflict with other values and is not always followed in the practices of society. Again, we see the contrast between ideal and real culture. One argument used to jus­tify the obvious lack of equality in American life is that conforming to this value requires only that everyone be guaranteed an equal opportunity to achieve success, although even by this modified standard, America falls short of living up to this value. Nevertheless, many mem­bers of the upper and middle classes explain their privi­leged position in society as fair reward for their greater personal achievement, which is also an American value.

Freedom. Of the many values in American cul­ture, none is more highly regarded than freedom. To Americans, the word freedom means both a lack of restraints on their behavior and the specific, positive forms of freedom. These include freedom of the press, freedom to gather peacefully, freedom to maintain a mul­tiparty government, and freedom of private enterprise.

Although Americans accept some limits on their freedom, most distrust any central government that becomes too powerful or tells a person how to live. This distrust is justified by the belief that people should run their own lives.

This American skepticism regarding government control leads to an ongoing conflict in our culture between the two values of freedom and equality (Lipset, 1963). Without government control, some people will inevitably become both wealthy and extremely powerful. However, great extremes of wealth tend to go hand in hand with the oppression of the poor and disadvantaged, which violates our strong acceptance of the value of equality or at least of equal opportunity. In an effort to resolve this contradiction, Americans have emphasized the importance of mass public education and the policy that the rich should pay a greater portion of their income in taxes than the poor.

Nationalism and patriotism. Most Ameri­cans believe that their way of life is the best and that it should be adopted in other lands. Even today, citizens who offer constructive criticism of American society are sometimes thought to be unpatriotic.

It is interesting to note that recent sociological stud­ies have found a strong similarity in personal values between citizens of the United States and residents of England. Both American and English urban adults ranked “good health” and “happy marriage” as the most important of 12 personal values and “moral purpose,” “sense of teamwork” and “earning a lot of money” as the least important. However, the strength with which specific values are held differs between the two countries. Marriage and friends mean more to the English; a “meaningful life” has more significance for Americans. It has been suggested that these differences reflect an under­lying dissimilarity between the two cultures: a stronger col­lective orientation in England and a more individualistic outlook in the United States (Perkins & Spates, 1986).

(based on David Popenoe Sociology)

LANGUAGE PRACTICE AND COMPREHENSION CHECK

Ex.4 Complete the following statements.

1. ____________________________________give coherence and mean­ing to American life.

2. The values are hard to notice because they ___________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________in a nutshell, the American people are diverse in ethnicity, occu­pation, and religion.

4. The 'American Creed'' could be defined as____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

5. The stress on achievement conflicts with_____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

6. American society was founded on___________________________________________

7. The settlers who pioneered in the wilderness came to value work because ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

8. What makes hard for many Americans to accept welfare programs is_______________

______________________________________________________________________

9. The struggle to resolve contradictions between key values such as personal achievement and moral concern is often difficult because________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

10. One of reasons why Americans like to solve whatever problems are at hand as quickly as possible is __________________________________________________________ It stems from___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

11. ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

That's why America has always found the idea of progress attractive.

12. As far as equality is concerned we see the contrast between ideal and real culture, for example_______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

13. Government control is believed to be a matter of vital importance because__________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

14. The reason why Americans have emphasized the importance of mass public education and the policy that the rich should pay a greater portion of their income in taxes than the poor is_____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

15. Recent sociological stud­ies have found a strong similarity in personal values between citizens of the United States and residents of England. Both __________________and____________________________________place a high value on_______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

 

Ex.5 Find out if the following statements are true or false. If they are false, correct them.

 

1. The American people lost their belief in ''American Creed''.

2. A person’s worth is often equated with the content of the character, with a person's inner word.

3. Americans honor and reward those who produce, accomplish, and achieve nothing but roll in money.

4. American society was founded on hard work.

5. The social structure of the new country was rigid. It was impossible to reach “room at the top” for those working hard.

6. Hard work is no longer a dominant value in American culture.

7. America’s first set­tlers showed deep concern for the welfare of others less fortunate than themselves.

8. As visionaries, Americans tend to postpone solving problems at hand.

9. The ideas of progress and material advancement never symbolized “the good life'' for

early Americans.

10. Many mem­bers of the upper and middle classes regard their privi­leged position in society as unfair reward.

11. Great extremes of wealth tend to go hand in hand with common welfare.

12. The smaller portion of their income in taxes the rich pay the better for the country.

13. Most Ameri­cans believe that their way of life is the worst and that they should adopt a better of life in other lands.

14. Neither citizens of the United States nor residents of England value “earning a lot of money”

Ex.6 Find English equivalents for the following words and word combinations:

1. беглый обзор

2. знакомы Американцам

3. народ, разнообразный по этническому составу

4. несмотря на это разнообразие

5. наблюдения нашли подтверждение со стороны иностранцев

6. ''Американская мечта''

7. личный успех, личные достижения

8. полученное упорным трудом

9. богатые природные ресурсы страны

10. начали ценить труд как путь к лучшей жизни came

11. продолжает превалировать в системе американских ценностей

12. проявляли глубокую озабоченность по отношению к

13. менее удачливые

14. противоречат другим важным ценностям

15. благородны и щедры

16. Стоит ли заниматься эти делом? Окупится ли оно в конечном итоге?

17. как можно быстрее

18. преследовать призрачные цели

19. тяжкий труд проложит путь к лучшей жизни

20. представления о техническом прогрессе и материальном благополучии сплелись воедино

21. социальное неравенство, распространенное в Старом Свете, исчезло в Америке

22. довод, который используется для того, чтобы оправдать явный недостаток равенства

23. равные возможности для достижения успеха

24. привилегированное положение в обществе

25. справедливое вознаграждение за выдающиеся личные достижения

26. ни одна ценность не ставится так высоко как свобода

27. свобода частного предпринимательства

28. согласны с некоторыми ограничениями свободы

29. угнетение бедных и обездоленных

30. больший подоходный налог

Ex.7 Find Russian equivalents for the following words and word combinations:

1. basic assumptions

2. certain value patterns

3. to be diverse in ethnicity

4. one of the world’s most varied cultures

5. one of the most prized of all American values

6. a person's worth

7. individual

8. the community at large

9. the open, fluid social structure

10. work for its own sake

11. the welfare of others

12. ''room at the top''

13. a dominant value

14. the American frontier tradition

15. rigid class distinctions

16. a lack of restraints on one's behavior

17. freedom of the press

18. freedom to gather peacefully

19. freedom to maintain a mul­tiparty government

20. great extremes of wealth

21. the value of equality

22. the value of equal opportunity

23. a stronger col­lective orientation

24. a more individualistic outlook

Ex.8 Find Russian equivalents for the following words and word combinations:

1. to give coherence and meaning to…

2. to provide a chance to look more closely at …

3. to blend into the background

4. to take something for granted

5. to be of Irish/Spanish/Italian etc. Catholic descent

6. to identify a set of American values

7. to be clearly identified

8. to be confirmed by foreign visitors

9. to take opinion polls

10. to list the following traditional American values:

11. to achieve something through hard work

12. to be equated with

13. to be founded on hard work

14. to pioneer

15. to achieve a better life

16. to provide a strong incentive

17. to bring wealth

18. to show a deep concern for

19. to put ideal into practice

20. to accept welfare programs

21. to lead to confusion and instability

22. to be in distress

23. to tend to judge things on the basis of practicality

24. to stems from

25. to resolve the contradiction

26. to solve whatever problems are at hand

27. to pursue long-term, visionary goals

28. to find the idea of progress attractive

29. to put the stress on work

30. to bring about a better world

31. to be bound to be better

32. to become both wealthy and extremely powerful

33. to strive to increase one's levels of material prosperity and comfort

34. to become intertwined

35. to entice one to buy their products

36. to reject rigid class distinctions

37. to further strengthen the concept of equality

38. to distrust any central government that becomes too powerful

39. to fall short of living up to this value

40. to mean both a lack of restraints on (their behavior) and the specific, positive forms of freedom

41. to be justified by the belief that…

42. to violate one's strong acceptance of the value of equality

43. to maintain a mul­tiparty government

44. to pay a greater portion of one's income in taxes than the poor

45. to emphasize the importance of mass education

46. to go hand in hand with the oppression of the poor and disadvantaged

47. to adopt a way of life

48. to offer constructive criticism

49. to rank “good health” and “happy marriage” as the most important of 12 personal values

50. to find a strong similarity in personal values between citizens of the United States and residents of England

51. to have more significance for Americans

52. to reflect an under­lying dissimilarity between the two cultures

53. it is reasonable to assume that such changes have significant social effects

 

Ex.9 Complete the following table:

 

verb	noun	adjective
	assumption
	descent
	observation
confirm
	achievement
		dominant
	concern
contradict
		identified
		efficient
	oppression
		practical
pursue
	prosperity
adopt
	equality
justify
require
	restraint
emphasize

 

Ex.10 Complete the following sentences using the above words:

 

1. There is a basic _____________in international law that a state will protect its citizens.

2. They talked about American families of Spanish ______________.

3. The research is full of interesting ________________about the nature of human relationship.

4. These new statistics _______________ our worst fears about the depth of the recession...

5. An achievement is something that someone has ________________in doing, especially after a lot of effort.

6. Unemployment will be a ______________ issue at the next election.

7. _______________for someone is a feeling that you want them to be happy, safe, and well.

8. Their short-term priorities are in direct ______________________to their long-term goals (=completely opposite to them).

9. If you don't explain things properly it's just going to cause__________________.

10. We need someone really _________________who can organize the office and make it run smoothly.

11. It all very well knowing things in theory but what you need to gain is practical__________________.

12. How can we most effectively _____________________these aims?

13. A country's future _________________depends, to an extent, upon the quality of education of its people.

14. Since our research so far has not produced any answers to this problem, we need to _______________a different approach to it.

15. Men and women should receive ______________pay for equal work.

16. The violence of the revolutionary years was _________________on the grounds of political necessity.

17. One of the ________________of the job is fluency in two or more African languages.

18. The report ________________the need for economic stability.

19. Throughout history, our people have been _________________and exploited.

20. The _________________of a problem is the first step towards solving it.

21. It is the _________________of freedom with power carried to the extreme.

 

Ex.11 Translate from Russian into English.

 

1. Ваш довод основан на ложном предположении.

2. Его мать по происхождению итальянка.

3. Наши результаты основаны на научных наблюдениях.

4. Исследование подтверждает наши предыдущие результаты.

5. Даже небольшой успех дает вам чувство того, что вы чего-то достигли.

6. Комитет выразил озабоченность по поводу насилия в стране.

7. Они не видят никакого противоречия между своей религиозной принадлежностью и членством в партии.

8. Новые правила вызвали много недоразумений.

9. Мы работаем вместе, преследуя общие цели.

10. Говорят, что при этой администрации экономика процветает, но для большинства населения — это незаметно.

11. Британские производители много позаимствовали у японцев.

12. Гражданские права включают свободу, равенство и право голоса.

13. Позвоните по этому номеру, если вам потребуется дополнительная информация.

14. Чтобы преуспеть, иногда необходимо обуздать свои амбиции.

15. Народ этой страны угнетался в течение многих лет.

16. Для простоты предположим, что этой информацией можно пренебречь.

 

Ex.12 Change the form of the words by adding prefixes so that the meaning becomes opposite:

1. familiar

2. personal

3. honor

4. respect

5. fortune

6. available

7. stability

8. stable

9. possible

10. practical

11. efficient

12. attractive

13. attract

14. increase

15. important

16. equality

17. trust

18. patriotic

19. similarity

20. advantaged

21. interesting

 

Ex.13 Translate the following sentences from English into Russian.

1. It was an impersonal city.

2. It is to be noted that poverty-stricken economies, conditions of insecurity, racism and disrespect for the rights of nations, together with hegemonic policies of the big Powers, are all factors that may cause new wars to break out.

3. If we didn't manage to accomplish our goal would be an irreparable misfortune.

4. A recent survey in Egypt had similar findings.

5. In every misfortune of one's neighbour there is always something cheering for an onlooker—whoever he may be.

6. The data on unemployment was unavailable.

7. The government was both inefficient and corrupt.

8. Between 1920 and 1953 the average hours of work decreased by ten: from fifty to forty hours.

9. It is to be noted that poverty-stricken economies, conditions of insecurity, racism and disrespect for the rights of nations, together with hegemonic policies of the big Powers, are all factors that may cause new wars to break out.

10.

Ex. 14 Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.

1. эффективно и успешно завершить работу

2. эти сведения могут быть вам незнакомы

3. говорить на нейтральную тему

4. неуважение прав других людей

5. результаты, которыми нельзя воспользоваться

6. заманчиво, но непрактично

7. другие личностные факторы (возраст, пол, уровень образования)

8. аналогичный метод

9. личное участие в процессе

10. немногие статистические данные доступны

Ex.15 Insert suitable preposition. Translate into Russian.

1. The government must now deal _______the problem of high unemployment and homelessness.

2. Very few decent candidates who believed _____ democracy could take part in the election.

3. The speaker has started to lay greater stress _____ the government's role in industry.

4. The whole theory was founded _____a mistaken belief.

5. _______the sake of historical accuracy, please permit us to state the true facts.

6. If you do something ______ its own sake, you do it because you want to, or because you enjoy it, and not for any other reason.

7. They demonstrated genuine concern _____others.

8. Now that he is back, the prime minister has another chance to put his new ideas _______practice.

9. What I have read about the case leads me ____ the conclusion that he was not guilty.

10. Their relationship was based ______ mutual respect.

11. He did not feel obliged to conform ______ the rules that applied to ordinary men.

12. The president lived _____ _____ his promise to set America swiftly on a new path.

13. Economic success and job creation go hand ____ hand.

14. During his speech, he laid particular stress ____ the freedom of the press.

Ex.16 Paraphrase the following statements by using synonyms or phrases with the same meaning.

1. They are basic assumptions they take for granted.

2. One of the world’s most varied cultures.

3. Despite this variety, how­ever, certain value patterns can be clearly identified.

4. These observations have been confirmed by foreign visitors.

5. A person’s worth is often equated with his or her achievements in business, the arts, or some other important area of American life.

6. The open, fluid social structure of the new country promised “room at the top” for those willing to work hard.

7. Sometimes these val­ues contradict certain other equally strong values.

8. They are less willing to pursue long-term, visionary goals.

9. Early Americans strove to increase their levels of material prosperity and comfort.

10. Many of the social inequalities of the Old World dissolved in America.

11. One argument used to jus­tify the obvious lack of equality in American life is that conforming to this value requires only that everyone be guaranteed an equal opportunity to achieve success, although even by this modified standard, America falls short of living up to this value.

12. Of the many values in American cul­ture, none is more highly regarded than freedom.

13. In an effort to resolve this contradiction, Americans have emphasized the importance of mass public education and the policy that the rich should pay a greater portion of their income in taxes than the poor.

14. It has been suggested that these differences reflect an under­lying dissimilarity between the two cultures: a stronger col­lective orientation in England and a more individualistic outlook in the United States.

 

Ex. 17 Fill in the gaps with the following words from the box. Translate the text from English into Russian.

a) to be American b) shows c) transformation d) between e) public opinion polls f) unique data g) analyzing h) surprising i) looks at the question j) traditional values

Has America lost its 1)________________? Many politicians and religious leaders believe so, as do the majority of Americans, based on 2) ________________taken over the past several years. But is this crisis of values real?

This book explores the moral terrain of America today, 3) ____________the widely held perception that the nation is in moral decline. It 4) _______________________________from a variety of angles, examining traditional values, secular values, religious values, family values, economic values, and others. Using 5) __________________from the World Values Surveys, the largest systematic attempt ever made to document attitudes, values, and beliefs around the world, this book systematically evaluates the perceived crisis of values by comparing America's values with those of over 60 other nations.

The results are 6)______________________. The evidence 7) _____________overwhelmingly that America has not lost its traditional values, that the nation compares favorably with most other societies, and that the culture war is largely a myth.
The gap 8)_________________reality and perception does not represent mass ignorance of the facts or an overblown moral panic, Baker contends. Rather, the widespread perception of a crisis of values is a real and legitimate interpretation of life in a society that is in the middle of a fundamental 9) ________________________and that contains growing cultural contradictions. Instead of posing a problem, the author argues, this crisis rhetoric serves the valuable social function of reminding us of what it means 10)__________________. As such, it preserves the ideological foundation of the nation.

 

Ex.18 Translate from Russian into English

1. большинство американцев

2. в течение нескольких лет проводить опрос общественного мнения

3. насколько этот кризис ценностей соответствует действительности?

4. исследует нравственные устои страны

5. повсеместно осознаваемое ощущение

6. в состоянии нравственного упадка

7. взглянуть на проблему с различных углов зрения

8. изучая традиционные ценности

9. светские ценности

10. редкие данные

11. назревший кризис ценностей

12. наблюдения убедительно свидетельствуют о том, что

13. расхождение между реальностью и ощущением

14. массовое незнание фактического материала

15. общество, находящееся в процессе коренных преобразований

16. содержит растущие культурные противоречия

17. вместо того чтобы обозначить проблему

18. риторика по поводу кризиса выполняет ценную функцию

19. оберегает идеологические устои общества

Unit 2

I

AMERICAN VALUES

Pre-listening Task

Words and Word Combinations to Remember

Ex.1 Read and study the following words and word combinations with their definitions. Translate them into Russian.

1. coherence - is a state or situation in which all the parts or ideas fit together well so that they form a united whole.

2. to provide somebody with (a chance to look) – to give smb –

3. to blend into (the background)- to mix, combine, to merge smth with smth,

4. basic assumptions - something essential that you accept as true without question or proof

5. to take smth for granted - assume that something is true without questioning it

6. to be diverse in (ethnicity) – showing a great deal of variety

7. ethnicity - the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition

8. varied (culture) - incorporating a number of different types or elements; showing variation or variety

9. descent - the origin or background of a person in terms of family or nationality

to be of Cornish descent -

10. observation - a statement based on something one has seen, heard, or noticed

11. to confirm - establish the truth or correctness of (something previously believed, suspected, or feared to be the case)

12. typical traits - a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person

13. to take opinion polls - an attempt to find out what people in general think about a subject by asking some people questions about it;

14. to list (values) - to make a list of

15. to reward somebody - give something to (someone) in recognition of their services, efforts, or achievements

16. a person's worth – person's high value or merit

17. to equate smth to/with - consider (one thing) to be the same as or equivalent to another

18. to conflict with ((The noun is pronounced [kɒ̱nflɪkt ]. The verb is pronounced [kənflɪ̱kt ].) - be incompatible or at variance; clash

19. to survive - continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship

20. abundant (natural resources) - existing or available in large quantities; plentiful

21. (to provide) a strong incentive - a thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something give farmers an incentive to improve their land

22. to be available - if something you want or need is available, you can find it or obtain it.

23. devout religious faith - having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment

24. to show deep concern for – to show anxiety; worry

25. welfare - statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need; financial support given to those who are unemployed or otherwise in need

26. to put smth (ideals, ideas, beliefs etc) into practice - the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it

27. to contradict - be in conflict with, If one statement or piece of evidence contradicts another, the first one makes the second one appear to be wrong.

28. to resolve contradictions – to settle or find a solution to the problem

29. to stem from – to be caused by smth

30. frontier (tradition) - the extreme limit of settled land beyond which lies wilderness, especially in reference to the western US before Pacific settlement

31. contempt for - the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or deserving scorn

32. efficient - if something or someone is efficient, they are able to do tasks successfully, without wasting time or energy.

33. to pursue (goals) - seek to attain or accomplish (a goal) over a long period

34. long-term (goals) - something that is long-term has continued for a long time or will continue for a long time in the future.

35. visionary goals – not practical, existing only in someone’s mind and unlikely to ever exist in the real world

36. to place stress on (work) - give particular emphasis or importance to (a point, statement, or idea) made in speech or writing

37. to strive to do smth - make great efforts to achieve or obtain something

38. material prosperity - prosperity is a condition in which a person or community is doing well financially.

39. to be intertwined - if two or more things are intertwined or intertwine, they are closely connected with each other in many ways.

40. slogans – a motto associated with a political party or movement or other group, a short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising

to adopt slogans

41. to reject – to refuse to agree

42. rigid class distinction - a clear difference or contrast between people from different social groups

43. to strengthen – to make smth stronger

44. to come into conflict with – to have serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one

45. to justify - show or prove to be right or reasonable

46. lack of (equality) - when something is not available or when there is not enough of it, if there is a lack of something, there is not enough of it or it does not exist at all.

47. a fair (reward) - just or appropriate in the circumstances

48. restraints - restraints are rules or conditions that limit or restrict someone or something.

49. private enterprise - business or industry that is managed by independent companies or private individuals rather than being controlled by the state

 

50. on-going (conflict) - an on-going situation has been happening for quite a long time and seems likely to continue for some time in the future.

51. oppression (of the poor) - prolonged cruel or unjust and unfair treatment of a group of people

52. disadvantaged people - in unfavourable circumstances, especially with regard to financial or social opportunities

53. underlying dissimilarity - real or basic difference or variance but not immediately obvious or directly stated

Ex.2 Work in small groups. Discuss the following questions.

1. What values do you think are most important for the Russian people nowadays? Why?

2. Have traditional values changed recently? If so, to what extent?

Ex.3 Read the text

This unit deals with giving an overview of one main aspect of American culture: the shared values and beliefs that give coherence and mean­ing to American life. Such an overview provides a chance to look more closely at the culture of one parti­cular society.

The values that are found in American culture are so familiar to Americans that it is hard to notice them. They blend into the background of their lives. They are basic assumptions they take for granted. Yet, from the time people are born to the moment of their death, their culture shapes them. If the culture were different, people would not be the same people that they are.

The American people are diverse in ethnicity, occu­pation, and religion. The United States, therefore, has one of the world’s most varied cultures. Coal miners and cor­porate executives, African-Americans and Chinese-Americans, Bostonians of Irish Catholic descent and Creoles from New Orleans—all are part of American society and add to its culture. Despite this variety, how­ever, certain value patterns can be clearly identified.

Traditional American Values

In his study American Society: A Sociological Interpre­tation, Robin M. Williams, Jr. (1970), identified a set of American values that provides the basis for the discussion in this section. But many other social scientists have iso­lated a similar set of shared American values. These observations have been confirmed by foreign visitors, who recognize the same “typically American” traits, and by opinion polls taken among American citizens, whose responses show that they still believe in what Gunnar Myrdal (1962) referred to as the “American Creed.” Williams listed the following traditional American values:

Personal achievement.

One of the most prized of all American values is personal achievement. Ideally, Americans honor and reward those who produce, accomplish, and achieve, especially when this is done through hard work. A person’s worth is often equated with his or her achievements in business, the arts, or some other important area of American life. But the stress on achievement, especially as measured by eco­nomic status, conflicts with the idea that one should be respected simply for who one is.

Work.

American society was founded on hard work. The settlers who pioneered in the wilderness had to work hard not only to achieve a better life but also just to survive. Moreover, the country’s abundant natural resources provided a strong incentive to make the most of what was available. And as the settlers saw that the labor of a farmer, trapper, or miner brought wealth not only to that individual but also to the community at large, they came to value work as a means of achieving a better life. The open, fluid social structure of the new country promised “room at the top” for those willing to work hard. Work for its own sake continues to be a dominant value in American culture.