1、A Brief Study of American IndividualismAbstract： This paper will mainly emphasize on the impact which American individualism has on American society and the whole world， Key words； Key Words： Macroeconomics， Keynesian Revolution， Great Depression Individualism is the core American ethos. It has been
2、 the primary force of American civilization for more than two centuries. It is individualism that has supplied the motivation of American political，economic and spiritual institutions in the history of its development. Individualism is originated to the great English scholar John Lockes doctrine of
3、separations of powers in the 17th century. Lockes doctrine mainly emphasized on the individual rights， and just this point， affected one of the United States founders， Thomas Jefferson， pretty much. Until the year of 1840， a French political commentator Alexis de Tocqueville coined the word “individ
4、ualism”. Since then， individualism began to encourage generations of Americans to strive for creating a great country and fighting for a better life. According to Encyclopedia Britannia，individualism is a kind of political and social philosophy that places high value on the freedom of the individual
5、 and generally stresses the self-directed， self-contained， and comparatively unrestrained individual or ego. Another authoritative dictionary， American Heritage Dictionary， defines individualism in the following three points： 1 .Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues o
6、f self-reliance and personal independence； 2. A doctrine of freedom from government regulation of personal economic or social goals； 3. The doctrine that the interests of the individual should take precedence over the interests of the group. Generally speaking， individualism emphasizes the individua
7、ls rights， including individual happiness and liberty， self-directed， self-contained， and self-development. American individualism is originated to the European modern individualism， which is widely regarded to originate to an ancient Greeces theory of individual position and function. In modern tim
8、es， individualism can be originated to Lockes doctrine of separation of powers. In the 17th century， famous English scholar John Locke put forward his doctrine， which emphasizes the individual rights. Lockes doctrine had a strong impact on Thomas Jefferson， who later drafted the remarkable Declarati
9、on of Independence and became one of the founders of the United States. America is a nation of individuals and individualism. Individualism probes the key to understand what is essentially American. The strong sense of individualism cultivates the American concept of liberty and equality， their cont
10、inuous pursuit of individual rights and their principle of their independence. The principle of liberty and equality is the premise of individualism. Liberty is the prime value because without it everything is out of the question. Liberty and equality are highly prized and encouraged. “All men are c
11、reated equal.” Thats why the African-Americans civil rights movement could happen in America in the 1920s. In the Westward Movement， American individualism also made a great contribution to the Americans. Immigrants from the eastern part of America and Europe worked hard to earn success with the bel
12、ief of individualism. And they believed that working hard enough can earn success and they are pretty sure about that point. There are some positive influences that need to be remembered. Firstly， individualism emphasizes the idea of pursuing individual success and individual happiness. Secondly， in
13、dividualism emphasizes the idea of keeping optimistic and working hard. They believed deeply that only hard working can earn everything you want. Thirdly， individualism emphasizes the idea of competitiveness. Americans love compete and they believe that the idea of compete can arouse individual pote
14、ntial maximally. Obviously and inevitably， American individualism is always a double-edged sword. America is the richest and most unequal. Americans also have one of the worlds most violent societies. They are among the worlds most gun-owning peoples. In 2008， the America murder rate was more than t
15、wice high as Germanys and nine times higher than Japans. A survey by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that 61 percent of all women feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods at night， that 45 percent of the population is afraid to walk alone at night near their own homes. Indeed，when
16、individualism goes to extremes， it will create many sophisticated problems and develop towards egoism， solipsism and anarchism. However， its disadvantages never outweigh its advantages. As a distinctive American ideology， individualism， to a certain extent， does make America become the sole superpow
17、er in the world. As the core American ethos， American individualism has developed for nearly three centuries. It has had a large impact on the American people. It is American individualism that encourages generations of Americans to strive for a great country， as well as a better life. References： 1
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